Surrender
by The Book of Counted Sorrows
Summary: The action begins with Sasuke's escape from the hospital. Dei returns, but is used by an assassin stalking Neji. Neji and the assassin end up fighting. And so Orochimaru's reward begins to make itself known as first blood is spilled. NejiXGaara, & SXN.
1. Time

!!VERY IMPORTANT!!

A/N:

This is Act II: "Surrender". It is the sequel to Act I: "A Breath in the Dark". If you have not read "A Breath in the Dark" then you will be very confused as I will reference to the prequel a lot throughout this fic; thus, I recommend that you read the prequel before starting this fic.

_**This story is set five years later: **_

Gaara, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Choji, and Ino: 21 yrs. old

Neji, Temari: 22 yrs. old

Itachi, Kankuro: 23 yrs. old

Kakashi, Iruka: 30 yrs. old

Tsunade, Jiraiya: 40 yrs. old

_**Currently:**_

Gaara is an artist that specializes in glass blowing; he also owns 10 percent of _**Advocate **_(this will be explained in this chapter). Neji is a doctor, though most of his studies were completed at home away from the classroom. Naruto is the heir to _**Advocate**_, and owns 20 percent of the agency. Sasuke is the chief chairman of the European Branch of Uchiha Enterprises located in Italy. His patron is Orochimaru. Itachi is currently the CEO of _**Uchiha Enterprises**_. Hinata is the heir of the _**Hyuuga Cooperation**_, and is currently working under her father in order to learn how to run the company. Temari owns 10 percent of _**Advocate**_, and is married to Shikamaru. Both are valuable assets to _**Advocate**_. Kankuro handles various business-related issues of _**Advocate**_, and owns 10 percent of the agency; he also has a Master's degree in Business. Tsunade is the head of _**Advocate**_. Jiraiya is a famous romance (perverted) novelist. Kakashi is a museum curator and discovered Gaara's art courtesy of Naruto, and now he is Gaara's patron. Iruka is still the principal of Konoha High. Kiba, Shino, Choji, and Ino all work in different aspects of _**Advocate**_.

Whew, that was a long note. lol ;)

Hope you enjoy reading Act II: "Surrender".

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, adult themes, and sexual content in later chapters. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

* * *

_**Surrender**_

_**Who can say where the road goes,  
Where the day flows?  
Only time...**_

_**And who can say if your love grows,  
As your heart chose?  
Only time...**_

_**Who can say why your heart sighs,  
As your love flies?  
Only time...**_

_**And who can say why your heart cries,  
When your love dies?  
Only time...**_

_**Who can say when the roads meet,  
That love might be,  
In your heart.**_

_**And who can say when the day sleeps,  
If the night keeps all your heart?  
Night keeps all your heart...**_

_**Who can say if your love grows,  
As your heart chose?  
Only time...**_

_**And who can say where the road goes,  
Where the day flows?  
Only time...**_

_**Who knows?  
Only time...**_

_**Who knows?  
Only time...**_

Artist: Enya "Time" from "A Day Without Rain"

* * *

_**Time**_

Five years later

It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and a blonde male walked up to a beautiful cottage tucked away in the outskirts of Konoha. The cottage was built in the 1900's and had an old flair about it that spoke of its history.

The blonde tried the door handle and sighed in frustration as he felt the door give—it was unlocked.

"How many times have I told him to lock his door," Naruto muttered to himself as he let himself in.

It was bad enough Gaara insisted on living in the middle of the woods, it was another thing altogether when he didn't even bother taking proper precautions such as locking his damn door!

Naruto took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. "Can't even return a damn phone call," he continued as he headed toward the stairs.

Naruto hated it when Gaara closed himself off from those who cared about him. The blonde was used to his friend's unexpected absences since inspiration struck whenever it did, regardless of the red-head's plans.

So, when Gaara didn't answer his calls, or the front door for that matter, Naruto figured he was busy working on another glass sculpture.

Knowing the routine, the older male decided not to bother him for a few days which was usually enough time for the red-head to wear himself out, but after a week passed by and he had yet to receive any news from the younger male, Naruto grew worried and decided to check up on him.

Once he made it upstairs, the blonde went straight to the bedroom knowing his friend was there. Not surprising, there was Gaara sprawled out in all his glory sleeping the day away.

Naruto pulled up a chair next to the bed. "He probably just finished another piece," Naruto said to himself, running a hand down his face in an effort to clear some of the fatigue away.

Since Gaara was an insomniac, he usually worked late into the night and slept a few hours in the day. The red-head's sleeping habits were nowhere near what one would call routine, but he got by. Being a self-made artist gave him the luxury to work whenever inspiration struck, and sleep the day away if he wanted too.

Naruto sighed once again, this time from exhaustion. He had been in a four hour meeting that morning and had driven straight to his friend's house afterwards. Though he was a little ticked at Gaara, he couldn't help but feel relief as he watched Gaara's chest rise and fall from his rhythmic breathing.

No one could have guessed that just two years ago, the red-head couldn't even shut his eyes without nightmares taking a hold of him. It was so bad that the shorter male had forsaken sleep altogether and instead chose to rest his body through deep meditation.

It had taken about three years of much coaxing and endless therapy sessions before Gaara was able to sleep without the nightmares of his past taking over his mind—however, the peaceful sleeper in front of him hadn't always been that way. No, Gaara had been a somewhat normal teen before he met Hyuuga Neji.

Naruto's hand clenched at the mere thought of the long-haired male. The wretch had wormed his way into his friend's life until he became Gaara's light in the darkness.

When Gaara first arrived to Konoha he had been a social dunce with an attitude to match, but as time passed he slowly began to open up to everyone, especially to Neji. He gave the Hyuuga his abused heart, and what did the bastard do with it. He shattered it like spun-glass along with Gaara's sanity.

For no reason, the Hyuuga utterly broke Gaara to the point where he lost himself to the nightmares of his past. When Gaara needed him the most, Neji turned his back on him. Knowing of Gaara's claustrophobia, having witnessed it first-hand, Neji had left the red-head locked in a metal cell, much like the one his father had often locked him in as a child.

He left Gaara to rot in that cage, and to add the icing on the cake, he broke his heart in the cruelest way imaginable telling him that he had only ever wanted him to warm his bed. HIS FUCKEN BED!

Naruto couldn't forgive him—not after witnessing Gaara's broken form struggle through years of hardship. The Hyuuga hadn't even informed anyone of Gaara's whereabouts.

If it wasn't for Haku and Zabuza, who knows how long Gaara would have been stuck in that cage. When the couple found him in an abandoned warehouse, Gaara was already past the point of no return. Haku, not knowing what to do with the unresponsive male, had rifled through his pockets until he found his phone and immediately pressed the re-dial button.

When Naruto first heard Haku's voice he was surprised seeing as he was calling from Gaara's cell, but it was nothing to the shock he felt when Haku informed him of Gaara's condition and the predicament they had found him in. The blonde had immediately asked for directions and jumped into his car, calling both Kankuro and Temari as he raced to the abandoned warehouse.

After that incident Gaara had never been the same. It took two long years before he even spoke a word to anyone. Temari and Kankuro refused to admit him into an asylum, not after everything he'd already been through. So they both read books about psychology night and day and tried to do what they could for their little brother. Lucky for them, Haku was in the field of psychology and handled Gaara's delicate case. Everyone was grateful to the young male especially since he kept no records of Gaara's condition, and thus, after the red-head recovered, all links to his break-down disappeared as Haku stopped his weekly sessions.

And now, after five years had passed since that fateful incident, Gaara was finally recovering. He slept more often, and talked in complete sentences again instead of his one word answers he used to deliver. Even his career as an artist was on the rise.

About a year ago, right about the time Gaara began to insert himself back into society, Kakashi discovered his glass sculptures courtesy of Naruto. Who would have guessed that their old art teacher was actually a museum curator?

Naruto smiled as he watched the peaceful expression on his friend's face as the other male slept. Gaara was truly a beautiful sight to behold as he lay in his bed with nothing but a pair of black silk boxers. The blonde watched as the sunlight streamed into the room caressing his lithe and well-toned body with warmth. Naruto sighed as he noticed the length of the blood-red locks. _"They need a good trim,"_ he thought. _"But then again, Gaara won't bother to get his butt into the city and get a decent haircut."_

Naruto smiled as he remembered the last time Gaara's hair got a little too long for comfort. Frustrated with his long locks, the shorter male had grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped off the bothersome crimson locks. Funny thing was, it hadn't turned out bad, and it actually looked good in a messy-style sort of way.

Using his left hand, Naruto reached out and swept away a lock of crimson hair so he could get a better look at Gaara's tattoo.

Love.

Naruto smiled a bitter smile as old memories resurfaced…Love…

"_Love can be cruel,"_ he thought to himself as the image of a raven-haired male flashed in his mind.

His heart skipped a beat._ "But it doesn't have to be that way…" _

Naruto gazed at the red-head in front of him. _"His skin is as pale as Sasuke's," _he noted as he gently ran his fingers down the Sabaku's face, tracing the line of his cheek with his finger. Too lost in his memories, Naruto didn't feel as the red-head stiffened underneath his touch.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Gaara murmured, confusion in his voice as he refrained himself from recoiling from the blonde's touch. Gaara knew that Naruto was a very physical person, and sometimes just needed another's warmth. He didn't want to hurt his feelings by shrinking back from the caress but he couldn't help it. Unlike Naruto, he wasn't a physical person, and hated the feeling of another's touch.

Naruto's fingers instantly halted their movement; as his eyes shot down to meet Gaara's very awake teal colored eyes as the red-head stared up at him.

"I'm sorry," Naruto immediately apologized snapping his hand away as he did so. "I must have spaced out and let my hand wander."

Gaara looked at him with a hint of disbelief in his eyes, but let the subject drop.

Now that the blonde was no longer touching him the tension that had coiled inside of him quickly subsided. He sat up and looked at his unexpected visitor in question. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Naruto instantly pounced on the change of subject and answered with a little more enthusiasm than he normally would. "Since you haven't deemed it necessary to call a friend back when he's left you about twenty messages on your phone, I came up here to make sure you're not dead!"

The blonde chuckled as Gaara rolled his eyes. "I also came to remind you that you have to attend a meeting on Friday."

Gaara groaned at the news.

"Who's going to be there?" he asked as he got up and made his way to the bathroom to grab a towel from the bathroom cabinet.

"Me, Shikamaru, Temari, Kankuro, and Tsunade."

"Tell me again why I haven't sold my shares and left the running of the company to you and my siblings?" Gaara asked with annoyance.

Naruto smiled, and plopped himself on the unmade bed. "Because Temari would kick your ass if you even mentioned the idea of such a thing, and I would be right with her," Naruto informed him as a sheepish smile spread on his tanned face. "Come one Gaara, it can't be that bad. All you have to do is attend one meeting every three months," he told him. "Do you have any idea how many meetings I have in just one week?"

Gaara threw the towel at Naruto's face before the blonde began with his usual speech about the nightmares of meetings.

"If you don't like it, then do something else," Gaara told him as he grabbed another towel from the cupboard. "You do own a fifth of the company."

Naruto waved Gaara's words away. "Nah, I actually do enjoy meeting new people, especially when I can put smug bastards in their place," he said as his eyes crinkled with mirth. "Just today I had the pleasure of sending a dickhead back home with zilch to show for his effort. The bastard tried to pressure me into making a deal I still wasn't completely sure of so I called the entire thing off."

"I don't know how you can deal with all those people."

"Well, I like people. Besides, not everyone I meet is that bad. They're usually really nice and fun to talk to."

"Whatever. I think I'll stick to my sculptures…I'm going to take a shower now. You can entertain yourself for the mean time," Gaara told his friend as he closed the bathroom door, not bothering to lock it.

While in college, Naruto had taken an internship position with a legal/security agency that specialized in protecting both their clients and their assets. They were advocates on behalf of their clients; thus, the agency's name: _**Advocate**_

As an intern Naruto got to know a lot of the people who worked there, and when the agency ran into financial problems he was the first to volunteer his help; he would be damn if he would just stand by and watch his friends suffer.

Thus, he learned of a shady business man named Gato who was threatening to buy off _**Advocate**_ Dan, the head of _**Advocate**_ had no other options left to him but to accept Gato's help or face bankruptcy.

Realizing the enormity of the situation, Naruto knew he had no chance of saving Dan's agency without help, so he quickly contacted Shikamaru and asked for his help.

Shikamaru was not called a genius for nothing and after analyzing the situation, he soon figured out a way to save Dan's agency. However, his plan had a few flaws, and Gato was already making his move. With so little time left, Shikamaru did the only thing he could think of: he asked his wife for help.

Temari had been pleased that he had included her in his efforts and thus admitting that he needed her help. She was competitive by nature and quickly got to work—she would not lose.

Pretty soon, Kankuro was recruited in the project Naruto dubbed "Screw Gato Over". Since the older Sabaku male had a Master's degree in Business it was a good move on their part.

With two geniuses, one business man, and a hyperactive blonde, Dan was able to salvage his plunging agency from Gato's greedy hands. However, the only reason the group managed to succeed was due to the Sabaku family fortune.

If nothing else, Gaara's father has been a great politician. In his years in office, he had accumulated a great amount of wealth which was promptly transferred into his children's hands after his death. So, Temari had proposed to use their father's money to save the company and instantly became Dan's partner since they essential owned 30 percent of the company, each sibling receiving 10 percent ownership.

For a year things couldn't be better, Dan had gotten engaged with a medical specialist who he had known ever since high school, and his company was once again ascending in status. But tragedy soon struck: Dan got into a terrible car accident and lost his life. Even the efforts of Tsunade, his fiancé, could not save him.

Both Tsunade and Naruto had cried their hearts out at his funeral, especially when Dan's will was read, leaving a fifth (20 percent) of his company to Naruto, and everything else to his fiancé.

As time passed the wounds of the heart soon faded enough to allow Tsunade to take her place as the head of _**Advocate**_. Like Dan, she instantly fell in love with Naruto's lively attitude and having no family of her own, named the blonde her heir.

Naruto had been shocked with the news to say the least, but soon got over it and instead chose to work hard to earn the title. Tsunade couldn't have been happier with him.

"Oi, Gaara," Naruto yelled from the kitchen when he heard the shower turn off.

"What is it?" Gaara responded as he dried himself off.

"When's your next show?"

"In two weeks."

"Wow, that soon… I guess I better tell my secretary to clear my schedule. I wouldn't want to piss off my clients because I ditched them to attend a fancy art show opening… Well, I can't wait to see your sculptures. I bet they're awesome, and who knows, I might want to buy one or two for myself?" the blonde teased.

Gaara walked in the kitchen wearing only a pair of black pants he hadn't bothered to button. "Idiot, if you want one of the pieces then just tell me and I've give them to you. I don't want your money. Besides, I rather you have them than a complete stranger."

Naruto smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

RING! RING! RING!

The raven-haired male looked at his phone with irritation before he picked it up.

"Yes."

"Hello Sir. Sakon is on line one and requests to speak with you. He says it's important," his secretary informed him.

"Thank you, you can transfer him to my office."

"You're welco—" he hung up before she could finish.

The young CEO stretched his arms as he waited for the call to be put through. _"He better have finished the deal already," _the raven-haired male thought. _"It's already taken longer than it should have." _

A few moments later, the phone rang again.

"Speak."

"Well, hell of a greeting Uchiha," Sakon told him.

"I'm not in a very good mood at the moment, so tell me what's so urgent. Have you secured the deal with _**Advocate **_yet?

"That's why I'm calling. It seems like the guy didn't like being pressured and threw the entire deal down the drain. He won't budge."

Sasuke's patience snapped. "Damn it! What the hell am I paying you for if you can't do your job right," he yelled at the gray-haired male on the other line.

"If I do recall, you're the one who told me to pressure the guy. It seems Blondie isn't as stupid as I first thought."

Sasuke ran a hand down his face in frustration. _"It just had to be a blonde,"_ he thought in annoyance remembering a certain blue-eyed blonde from long ago. _"Get a hold of yourself Uchiha," _he thought to himself. "Why haven't you tried presenting our proposal to someone above him. What about his supervisor?"

"The only one above him is Tsunade herself, the head of the company, and it seems she trusts his judgment, so if he says no deal, then it really is no deal," Sakon explained.

Sasuke slammed his hand on the wooden oak desk. _"Damn it, I need this deal,"_ he thought to himself. _"Why am I cursed with blonde idiot's who do nothing but cause me grief?" _

Inside his plush office Sasuke sighed in conceit. "Fine, return home. I'll go and secure the deal myself," he told Sakon before hanging up.

"Having a bit of trouble Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked as he fully opened the door he had been standing behind.

Sasuke looked up at his unexpected arrival. "Nothing I can't handle Orochimaru," he confidently stated. He refused to let some blonde idiot stop him from accomplishing his goals, especially now that he was so close to beating Itachi.

"If you say so, I trust your judgment."

"Thank you Orochimaru."

The older male smiled. _"After this deal is over, I'll have _Uchiha Enterprises _exactly where I want it— at the palm of my hand."_

Orochimaru excused himself, now in a much better mood, and left the young Uchiha to his work. _"Kabuto, its all up to you now," _he thought to himself.

"I'm sick and tired of all these tests," Neji gritted out as cheerful Kabuto inserted an all too familiar needle into his flesh.

"Now Neji, you should be grateful that I've devoted all my time in search of a cure to that virus (1) that inhabits your body. You have to do your part and be patient. After all, break-through's occur at the most unlikely times," Kabuto told a frustrated Neji as he got another sample of blood from the Hyuuga.

Neji said nothing and simply waited for the medic to bandage his arm as he'd done hundreds of times before.

"Thank you for your cooperation. That's it for now. You can do whatever you wish while I examine this sample and perform some experiments," the medic dismissed him, already ignoring his presence as he placed a small amount of sample under the microscope in order to examine it more closely.

Neji slipped out of the cold chair he had been sitting on and left Kabuto to his experiments; heading to his room—his cell.

After five years, he was sick of all of it. He hated all the experiments; he hated being watched all the time, as if he could really run away. Where would he go?

He had forsaken his family long ago and had nowhere to go, besides without the medication that Kabuto supplied him with, he would die. He was all alone in this world, and the funny thing was, it was all his fault.

He laughed at the irony of it all.

He had often complained that Hiashi kept him a prisoner in the Hyuuga Mansion, but after spending five years in a virtual jail, he saw the truth too late…much too late. _This_ was the real prison. Never allowed to leave the compound without a bodyguard, camera's everywhere, scheduled check-in's. For five years, he had lived his life behind closed doors.

He inhabited a true gilded cage, and the worst thing about it was he had voluntarily entered his cage and securely locked it, so that any thought of escape had utterly vanished from his mind's eye.

He thought of his family: Hiashi, Hinata, Hanabi, his aunt… the list went on. He often wondered how they took his abandonment. How were they? Was Hinata still the shy girl he remembered? Did Hanabi still have her sweet tooth that brought her dental bills through the roof? Did they blame him…miss him?

He had been a fool, and now he was stuck in this hell hole. Not living, merely existing from day to day. He had become but a shadow of the person he used to be. As the years dragged on, he became less and less the Neji of old. The Neji that loved to play pranks on his father, the Neji who told his tales of fantasy to his patient aunt that listened to his every word. The Neji his father loved.

How he loathed himself. If he could turn back time he would never have left his family behind—or his love.

Back in his room behind locked doors, Neji clutched his chest as he felt his heart contract from the overflowing emotion that poured through it at the mere thought of the crimson-haired male. He had abandoned the only person he had ever truly loved.

"_You loved him yet you abandoned him without a second glance, is this what your so called love is worth?" _he asked himself, remembering the cruel words he had told Gaara when they had last spoken.

"_Gaara it's over. I no longer have any ties with you."_

"_I only wanted your body, nothing else."_

"… _I never cared about you. I only wanted you to warm my bed."_

"_Find someone who cares, Sabaku. I'm no longer interested in you. I never loved you." _

Gaara deserved much better than him… No, he was being selfish. His motives had not been entirely pure; he could not stand it if the younger male turned away from him in disgust after he found out about his secret… or even worse, looked at him with pity or sympathy.

Besides, he knew that he could never make Gaara happy; all he would do is make him miserable in the end until Gaara hated him. He knew that; yet, it had killed him to say those words to him—all those lies.

He still remembered Gaara's broken voice as he finished their relationship. Every heart-broken word that the younger male uttered had been like a knife wound, each a stab to his heart.

"_Neji… help me…" _

"_Why…Why? Neji why did you…you…I thought you truly cared…" _

"_I-I-I need you…I-I-I'm in the darkness." _

"What?" the young Hyuuga whispered aloud eyes wide in realization, as he replayed his memories.

"_Neji… help me…" _

"Help me?" he repeated out-loud as worry took over. When he called Gaara those had been the first words he had said to him. Had he been in trouble?

"_I-I-I need you…I-I-I'm in the darkness." _

Neji's heart skipped a beat as he closely examined his memories for the first time in five years.

"His voice was laced with panic…he had been afraid," the white-eye male remembered for the first time. At the time he had been under too much emotional stress that he hadn't even noticed; he had been too consumed in his own problems. "No, he couldn't have been in danger…could he?"

Neji shook his head as if he could rid himself of such a ludicrous idea. _"He was always with Naruto or siblings. If something happened to him, they would be right there to help him,"_ he reasoned, yet somehow he didn't quite believe himself.

"Father, we have just received another ransom notice," Hinata said in an emotionless voice as she handed her father the letter in her hand.

While her father read the letter she never once took her eyes off of him. Every time they received the ransom notice in the mail her emotions went through hell and back. The letter always demanded the same set of conditions: a box full of pills (1) that would last a single individual a year, and enough of the antidote (2) to last the same length of time.

Every year they received the letter and for the last four years Hiashi had delivered the requested amount. However, Hinata knew that the current situation could not last forever, eventually the letter would demand more, something her father could not deliver—such as the components of the pill, or even worse, the components of the antidote. She knew her father could not carry out such a request. She was also afraid that one day the letter would arrive and her father would refuse to deliver the requested items. She knew he had every right to refuse, and the worst thing about it was she could not oppose his decision. She knew that Hiashi risked a lot every time he carried out the request. Yet, what choice did they have? If they refused to surrender the pills or the antidote, it would be the same as refusing to save Neji. She could never forgive herself if Neji died for such a reason.

Every year she went through the same torture and this year was no different as she stood in front of her father awaiting his decision.

After reading the letter Hiashi stood up and faced his daughter. "Inform the medic to prepare the necessary amount of pills and antidote," he told her.

Hearing her father's words, Hinata released the breath she hadn't even noticed she'd been holding. "Yes, father," she said as relief flooded her system.

Hiashi watched as his daughter literally ran out of his office. "Hizashi, I cannot keep doing this…," he said while looking at the picture on his desk of his brother and him. "If I can't find Neji this year, I'm afraid I will not be able to comply with the ransom demand next year," he whispered.

For a minute, Hiashi simply stood in the empty room as if waiting for his long dead brother to reply, but the silence was unbroken.

Hiashi sighed. "Neji where are you?"

1) The virus I'm referring to was first mentioned in "A Breath in the Dark": Act 1. Ch. 4: A Case of Malady. The virus…well, that particular subject is going to be revealed as the story continues. The first symptom of the virus is a curse seal that appears on a Hyuuga's forehead. The seal is a warning device that informs a Hyuuga that they need to take the antidote soon. If a Hyuuga does not take the antidote their body will slowly be overcome with torturous pain until they can't move. This painful symptoms can be slowed down by taking the pills but once it begins nothing but the antidote will be able to stop it. However, if a Hyuuga does not take the antidote their body will slowly shut down and they will eventually die a painful death.

2) The pills I'm referring to were first mentioned in "A Breath in the Dark": Act 1. Ch. 4: A Case of Malady. The pill extends the time intervals in which a Hyuuga needs to take the shot, which is referred to as the antidote. If a Hyuuga does not take their medication, then the time interval for their next shot is shortened.

3) The antidote I'm referring to was first mentioned in "A Breath in the Dark": Act 1, Ch. 10: A Breath in the Dark. The antidote is the shot that a Hyuuga must receive usually every four months—if they take the required pills, without the pills the time interval between every shot shortens considerably. The so-called antidote merely prevents an individual from dying of the virus. It is not a cure.

So there it is, Act II. This is the sequel to Act I: "A Breath in the Dark". As you probably noted, I tried to explain what happened five years ago with Neji and Gaara. As far as everyone knows, Neji harshly broke-up with Gaara and left him in that cage knowing of his claustrophobia. However, Neji never knew Gaara was in trouble. He simply broke-up with Gaara because Kabuto made him, and he also wanted Gaara to be happy with someone else because he thought he could never make Gaara happy. In this chapter he just realized that something was wrong with Gaara, but he still doesn't know exactly what.

What do you think of the first chapter? There's not much going on, but I needed to set a lot of things up. Next chapter will be more exciting. Sasuke and Naruto will meet for the first time in five years, and Neji will make a big decision. Hopefully he'll be able to execute it. Gaara… well Gaara will be a little busy with his upcoming show. Hope you'll like his sculptures.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)


	2. Aggression

A/N:

Yay! School is officially over, so now I actually have some time to write. Anyways, sorry for the long wait for chapter 2, but school was just piling up. However, now I'll be able to write more regularly. Hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

* * *

_**Aggression**_

Every Friday night the gang which included: Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Temari and Naruto would eat out at a local restaurant. At first, it had started out with Naruto and Kiba. The pair would stay out into the wee hours of the morning doing God knows what, which was the reason why Shino began to attend their weekly get-togethers. Though he trusted his boyfriend completely, he knew the two loudmouths would get into trouble eventually. It was inevitable, besides Kiba was adorable when he was drunk. As luck should have it, one Friday night while on a date, Ino and Choji spotted the trio and readily joined them. Suffice it to say, it had been fun, which was exactly why Temari decided to drag her lazy husband to the lively restaurant that housed their friends once a week. As time went on, their weekly gatherings became tradition and the group of friends used this time to catch up with each other for though their lives were intertwined, they still strayed away from each other every once in a while.

Presently, Ino, Choji, Temari, and Shikamaru were waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive before ordering. Seeing as it might be a while 'til their friends showed up, Ino began to talk about her day, while her friends interrupted her with a comment or two every now and then.

"I was lucky Temari spotted me in the parking lot," Ino explained as she told the trio about her car troubles. "Anyways, we were already late so Temari put her foot on the gas and we shot through the streets at high speeds. Let's just say it wasn't long before we heard the sirens of a police car," the blonde said, giggling at their earlier predicament. "Suffice it to say, I was panicking, I mean, we were going 90 in a 55 mi. zone. I was already imagining myself having to call poor Choji to come pick me up from the police station—how humiliating." Going with the drama routine, Ino threw herself on her fiancée's arm, who in turn, petted her blonde locks with an amused smile. He could just picture her yelling at a poor officer for making her wear the hideous orange jumpsuits, though he highly doubted it would have come to that. But still, it was funny.

"So, here I am panicking like crazy as I watch the policeman walk up to the driver's window, I look over at Temari and almost gawk at her as she sits there perfectly calm as if she hasn't just been caught speeding. I don't know how anyone could be so calm in a situation like that. Anyways, after the cop tapped on the glass, Temari rolls down her window," at this point in her story the blonde began to giggle once more. "You should have seen the instant smirk that appeared on the guy's face as soon as he got a good look at us," she told them, remembering the scene quite well.

Across from the excited blonde, a frown formed across Shikamaru's face as Ino's story steadily progressed. He did no like where this tale was heading.

"… you should have seen her, by the end of the conversation, she had him eating out of her hand. Obviously, he let us off with a warning, and told Temari to keep to the speed limit."

At this point Ino broke into another fit of giggles, while Temari simply smiled; amusement shining in her teal eyes.

Shikamaru was not a jealous man by nature, it was too troublesome, and a waste of energy. However, ever since he got together with the female Sabaku his nonchalant attitude had slowly crumbled. It was bad enough that half the men at the company eyed his wife with lust, and some were even half love with her. Heck, who wouldn't be? She was everything any man would want in a woman—beautiful, intelligent, competitive, and fun. It was a rare day if one of the male employee's didn't try to flirt with her. Incidents like that easily rolled off him since he himself was not immune to her charms either and couldn't really blame the poor guys. Besides, Temari always made it clear to them that she was already taken; however, it was a different story altogether when she actually participated!

"I don't want to hear how my wife flirted her way out of a speeding ticket," Shikamaru muttered out loud, frown still in place. But before he could get another word in edge-wise he was smacked upside the head by a livid female.

"Don't make me out to be some slut that throws herself at any man for my convenience," Temari said while glaring daggers at him. How dare he insinuate such a thing!

She had done nothing wrong. While the policeman had tried his best to flirt with her, she had simply ignored his efforts and told him she was already married. But that hadn't stopped him. Oh no, it had only speared him on, and his efforts increased tenfold. Anything she said, he simply took it as endearing. All anyone ever saw when they looked at her was just another pretty face. She was sick and tired of it. Shikamaru had been the only male who had ever looked past the pretty face and seen her for herself—Temari. Yet, here he was accusing her of such a thing.

Ino's eyes widen in shock at Temari's words. She hadn't meant to start an argument between the two. She had just thought it would be a fun tale to tell while waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive.

Noticing his fiancée's distress, Choji grabbed her hand and squeezed it, silently telling her it would be alright.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru grumbled out loud while rubbing his head—though it hadn't actually hurt.

"If you find me so troublesome, then why don't you find someone else more suitable to your tastes," Temari snapped as she abruptly stood up from the table, ready to leave in an instant. "Better, yet. Why don't _**I**_ find someone else better suited to my tastes!" She said in a heated voice, fire in her eyes.

At her words, Shikamaru's eyes narrowed dangerously as an overwhelming fury poured into his body. He would never allow anyone to touch her. He didn't care if he sounded like some kind of masochist; he would kill anyone who dare try to take her away from him.

Before anyone knew what was happening, he roughly yanked the angry blonde to his side startling everyone at the table. "Understand this Temari," he said in a low undertone as he towered over her, obsidian eyes boring into her shocked and wide teal ones. "You are _**MINE**_, and mine _**ALONE**_," he gritted out, heat pouring off of him. "There is no one else besides _**ME**_ suitable to your tastes," he growled out as he abruptly closed the distance between them and plundered her lush mouth with his own.

The kiss was rough, exuding dominance; nothing like the chaste kisses she was used too. Shikamaru was never rough with her, and this new side of him sent a thrill through her body, and that's probably why she let herself be dominated by the male currently trying to suffocate her with his searing hot lips.

Temari was too far gone to even notice as Shikamaru wrapped one hand around her waist and the other into her blonde locks as he meshed their bodies together, closing any gaps between them.

"Umm, are we supposed to give them a moment, or just pretend they aren't here?" Ino whispered to Choji, but no sooner had the words left her mouth than Shikamaru abruptly broke the searing kiss. The only audible sound that could be heard was the couple's panting as they tried to regain their breath.

Still dizzy from the rough kiss, Temari looked up at her husband and was stunned to find his usual calm eyes filled with both rage and lust as he intently looked at her as if making up his mind; and before she could say a word, she was swept off her feet, mouth plundered once again.

Adrenaline still pumping through his system, Shikamaru picked up his wife in one smooth motion and carried her bridal style out of the restaurant as he attacked her pretty pink mouth. The only thought in his mind was to prove just _**who**_ exactly was suitable to her tastes.

"They're not coming back are they?" Choji asked his fiancée as he, along with half the restaurant gawked at the now closed double doors in shock.

"Uh, that would be a no," Ino replied as she silently cheered for her friend. That was the hottest thing she had seen since… well, ever. Who knew Shikamaru could be such an alpha male. No wonder Temari had fallen for him. When he had yanked her to him, he had practically exuded dominance, and that husky voice he had used when he spoke to her would melt any woman.

"Note to self: a furious Shikamaru is not someone to mess with," Ino said aloud. Choji simply nodded his head in agreement still staring at the closed doors.

* * *

"Wow, who knew Shikamaru had it in him," Kiba said in an awed voice after Ino finished telling them the reason why Shikamaru and Temari weren't going to be joining them. Shino, per usual, did not comment. Though it was a rare thing indeed, Shino knew Shikamaru's testosterone levels could go off the charts when someone jabbed him the wrong way and made him furious.

"Well, there _is _a reason why Temari married him," Naruto put in. "She never seemed the type to settle down with someone she thought was weak."

Hearing Naruto's insight, Ino raised her perfectly sculpted brow at him in question.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"That's mighty perceptive of you Naruto, and here I thought you were as dense as a rock when it came to relationships," she teased.

"Hey, I know about relationships," Naruto retorted, indignant at her comment.

"Oh, what with you and Gaara…" she purposely trailed off, and let the words linger in the air while she picked up her drink and took a sip.

Naruto frowned, "What do you mean, _me_ and _Gaara_?" he questioned her.

"Oh nothing, just the small fact that you're both in D-E-N-I-A-L." she teased him, using her fingers to write each letter in the air for emphasis.

"_**WHAT!"**_ Naruto spat, eyes wide in shock at her suggestion, which was utterly ridiculous in his opinion. "ME AND GAARA! What are you talking about?!" Naruto yelled as his tanned cheeks gained a light pink hue.

Ino smiled a wicked smile, "Oh come now. Everyone knows how close you two are; you're practically his wife what with the way you're always nagging him about this or that."

"I do not nag him!" Naruto yelled, insulted Ino would even suggest such a thing.

"Sure you don't," Ino continued, amused at the blonde's reaction. "But seriously, you two would be perfect for each other. You're already best friends, which is the most important part in any relationship," she said as she began to list the many reasons why he and Gaara would make a great couple. As the list went on, all Naruto could do was gawk, not even bothering to hide the mad blush that rose to his cheeks at her words.

"… Nine: You've known each other for years, and can practically read each other's mind. Ten: You would never hurt each other. Eleven: You're both healthy young males that need to have a good romp in the sheets once in a whi—"

"Ino stop!" Naruto practically yelped, covering his ears with his hands as he heard her last reason.

"Oh, come on Naruto. Don't be such a prig. It's perfectly normal to want to jump into bed with a young hot male like Gaara—"

"Oh my God, IMAGES! Would you please stop it already," Naruto yelled as he began to bang his head on the table in an attempt to get rid of the images that had popped into his mind at Ino's words.

"If you were so against the idea, then why are you blushing like a school girl who just found out her crush likes her," Ino mercilessly teased him. This was just too much fun. Besides, she really did think her two friends deserved each other. Over the years she had watched them as they struggled to move on after the whole Uchiha-Hyuuga incident. Those two were lucky they left when they did because is she ever saw them again she would give them a piece of her mind along with a left-hook.

"I am not!" Naruto retorted as his cheeks steadily began to turn crimson with embarrassment.

At his words, Ino, along with the rest of the group, with the exception of Shino of course, began to laugh mercilessly at the blonde's poor defense.

"Naruto, you know Gaara would never take the first steps to start a relationship, so you have to be a man and make the first move," Ino told him in a stern voice.

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto blurted out the first excuse he could think of and practically ran out of the restaurant, leaving behind the tinkling laughter of his friends.

Kiba and Ino just smirked knowingly as they watched the swinging doors of the restaurant where their blonde friend had just escaped through.

"You can really be evil sometimes," Choji commented as he watched the amusement cross her face.

"Well, someone had to put the idea in his head. Honestly, it's been years, and they're still pretending to be friends. They need to get a move on it and get together already," Ino huffed.

"Have you ever thought that maybe they really are just best friends, Love," Choji interjected. "I don't think they're really as suitable for each other as you may think, especially Gaara. I don't think he's ready to be in any sort of relationship so soon after his recovery."

At his words, blue eyes immediately lost their brightness. "Yeah," the blonde softly said as she looked out the restaurant's windows which boasted a lovely view of the mountain that housed a certain red-head. "I'm not quite sure if Gaara will ever be the same…" she trailed off as she remembered all the suffering Gaara had gone through.

Seeing his fiancée's dejected form, Choji embraced her in a light hug and tenderly kissed her temple as he tried to find some words of comfort. "On the other hand, maybe Gaara isn't as broken as we still think he is. Who knows, he might already be harboring romantic feelings for Naruto and planning to tell him that's he's madly in love with him and has been for years now."

For a few seconds everyone just stared at him before breaking into peals of laughter at such a ridiculous suggestion. Even Shino snickered a bit.

* * *

When Naruto reached his house his cheeks still sported a light pink hue. "I can't believe they would make such as a suggestion. Me and Gaara; what a joke. We're just friend's period end of story—we'll more like best friends, but that still doesn't mean we should get together," he grumbled to himself as he parked his car.

So, they were close, well as close as two people could get without being intimate with each other. The thought of being intimate with Gaara brought another mad blush to his face. "Damn it Ino!" he growled.

Entering his home, practically a small mansion that boasted a stunning view of Konoha, the blonde went up to his room and decided to go to bed early in an attempt to get the disturbing thoughts out of his mind. However, no matter how much he tried to shrug it off, Ino's words reverberated through his mind, and by the time two o'clock passed by, Naruto was still trying to go to sleep and failing miserably. Cursing a certain blue-eyed female, Naruto got out of bed, and headed toward his kitchen. Rummaging through his refrigerator, he pulled out a piece of cheesecake he had yet to eat and got to work on finishing it off. Afterwards, he idly sipped his milk as thoughts of a certain red-head invaded his mind once again; however, this time he didn't fight it and simply let his thoughts rein free.

Images of a half-nude Gaara soundly sleeping in his bed as light streamed in through the open curtains invaded his mind. _"He is pretty good-looking, especially when he's asleep,"_ Naruto thought to himself as he gave the idea of him and Gaara a chance. "_If we ever _did _go out, I wouldn't have to worry about someone hurting him, or not appreciating him… I would never have to worry about being hurt either. He would never do such a thing...But do I feel that way for him…could I ever?"_

In the lonely kitchen of his home, Naruto sighed as he swept a hand down his face. He knew he didn't harbor such feelings for his friend, but maybe he could learn. He already had strong feelings towards him; maybe if he tried hard enough, his feelings could slowly change.

Mind made up, Naruto placed the dirty dishes away and made his way to his bedroom. Ino was right, he and Gaara could be happy together, and he would make sure to give his friend all the love he had, God knew Gaara needed it. Tomorrow he would visit Gaara; he was determined to change his feelings of friendship into feelings of love.

Mind no longer in turmoil, Naruto fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

"What time is my meeting?" Sasuke curtly asked his secretary as he looked at some papers in front of him, and completely ignored the spectacular view his hotel room possessed.

Karin frowned at the Uchiha's attitude, but gave him in the information he requested with her usual flirtatious tone. "Two o'clock. You still have two hours," she informed him and as she watched the young Uchiha look over some documents, she decided to test her luck. "Since you have two hours before your meeting with the head of _**Advocate**_ maybe you'd like to—"

"No," Sasuke cut her off not bothering to take his eyes off the piece of paper he was currently reading.

The rejection did nothing to damper Karin's mood; she was already used to Sasuke's brazen dismissals. So, smile still in place, the young secretary excused herself and sent a wave to the silent shadow behind the Uchiha, before heading off to her own room which was conveniently located across Sasuke's own room. Being Sasuke's personal secretary sure came with a lot of perks.

Back in his room, Sasuke read over the contract one more time. Half and hour later, he began to place the paperwork inside his briefcase. Making sure he had everything in order, he flicked his finger in a 'let's go' motion to his bodyguard and headed out of his room. He did not want to be late for his meeting.

Recognizing the Uchiha's curt signal, Kimimaro silently followed the younger Uchiha.

* * *

"So, what do you say Gaara?" Naruto asked his friend, cradling his cell phone between his neck and shoulder as he finished cooking his ramen.

That morning Naruto had slept through his alarm clock and hadn't woken up 'til 11:30, which was a major problem since he had to be at the office by noon. So, as soon as he saw the time he dived for his cell phone and called his secretary. Luckily for him, he only had one meeting that day. A two o'clock Tsunade had passed on to him. She sometimes did that so he didn't question his secretary about it. No longer panicking like crazy, the blonde had taken a long shower, and decided to call Gaara and ask him to have dinner with him that night. Though he often asked Gaara out to eat on many occasions, he was currently feeling unaccustomedly awkward. This was not just another get together for him. He planned to take the first steps away from simple friendship and into the realm of romantic love.

When Naruto asked the red-head out for dinner, Gaara wanted to turn him down, but remembering that Naruto tended to bug him until he finally gave in just so he could have some peace and quiet, Gaara crossed out that idea. So thinking of saving himself from another bout of Naruto's nagging, Gaara reluctantly agreed unaware of the blonde's intentions.

"Great. I'll meet you at 8 o'clock at the small café by third and Westmont," Naruto chirped.

"I'll see you then," Gaara said on the other line as he saw Kakashi pull up to his house; the red-head rolled his eyes.

For the past week Kakashi had been dropping by more often to personally pick up any new glass sculptures he had completed. It was getting annoying really fast. "I have go Naruto," the red-head told his friend as he heard the swift knock on his door a minute later.

"_Crap, he's going to hang up already. Okay, calm down Uzumaki and tell him what you practiced this morning,"_ Naruto told himself as his usual boldness faltered. "Uh, okay. I'llseeyoutonightateight,Byehoney," and with that the blonde instantly hung up, not waiting to hear Gaara's response.

On the other line, Gaara stared at his phone in confusion. _"Did he just call me honey?"_

Gaara shook his head immediately dismissing the idea. "I really need to get more sleep," he muttered to himself as he heard another knock on his door, this time louder. Running a hand down his face in an attempt to calm himself down, Gaara walked toward his door and opened it, glaring at his visitor.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted him, ignoring the glare—he was used to it by now.

* * *

Sasuke was pissed. He was more than pissed he was furious. But one would never know it by looking at his calm façade. An Uchiha never let their emotions rein free, and Sasuke was no exception to the rule.

When he had arrived for his two o'clock meeting with Tsunade, the head of the company, he had been informed by her secretary, Shizune that he would not be meeting with Tsunade rather he would meet with the person most familiar with his proposal, the Heir of _**Advocate**_.

Since his meeting had been with Tsunade, he had researched her endlessly until he had a pretty good idea how to approach her, but he knew nothing of this new person he was supposed to meet, and he had been to furious to ask for the man's name. All knew about the guy was the fact that he was blonde, which Sakon had told him when he had called him to inform him that the blonde had rejected the contract.

However, he wouldn't let this turn of events dampen his confidence. No matter who the man was, he was confident in his business abilities. He was an expert at negotiation. He could sway any person with his logic, unless they were an emotional moron, but what were the possibilities of that happening.

* * *

"Damn it! Tsunade's going to kill me!" Naruto said to himself as he ran through the double doors of _**Advocate**_¸ and headed straight for the elevator.

Five minutes later, his secretary was informing him of all the arrangements he had made in order to cover for him for his 30 minute tardiness. "So, he's waiting for you in your office."

"You're the best Sumaru," Naruto exclaimed as he literally threw himself on the other male giving him a bear hug. Sumaru, used to the blonde's enthusiasm, simply braced himself for the inevitable.

Already late for his meeting, Naruto didn't have time to ask Sumaru who exactly he was meeting with. When he had called earlier because he had woken up late, he had been so relieved that he wasn't going to miss any important meetings that he had completely forgotten to ask Sumaru who he was meeting with. _"Oh, well. I'll wing it," _Naruto thought to himself as he entered his office, Sumaru right behind him.

Once inside his office, he saw a lovely young woman sitting next to a raven-haired man whose face was turned away from him, looking at the city.

Charming smile plastered on his face, Naruto greeted the male.

* * *

Sasuke had been waiting for the last 30 minutes for his meeting to begin, but their host had yet to arrive—he was stuck in traffic, at least that's what his secretary had informed them as two o'clock came and went and there was still no sign of the blonde male. _"He must know how bad traffic can get at this time of day especially in the business district," _Sasuke thought to himself, getting irritated with the whole situation very fast. _"The idiot should have left earlier like I did."_

Karin, seeing that Sasuke was getting more and more angry as the minutes dragged on, decided to distract him while they waited. So, seeing the wonderful view of the city the office possessed, she suggested they move to the small sofa near the open window. Nodding at her suggestion, the two moved to the bright orange sofa. Honestly, who bought orange furniture and placed it in their office. The sofa was an eyesore. Ignoring the tasteless furniture, at least in his opinion, Sasuke distracted himself by watching the city he had not seen in five years.

Minutes later, Sasuke heard the door open, and waited a moment before standing up to greet the other person, but before he could utter a word of greeting his eyes widened in utter shock as he recognized the familiar blonde locks, and whisker marks marring the otherwise unblemished tanned skin.

"Hello, sorry for keeping you waiting—" Naruto faltered amid his greeting and stopped his forward movement as he got a good look at the raven-haired male.

Sapphire eyes widened in shock. "S-S-Sasuke…," Naruto uttered as memories surfaced.

For a minute both men simply stood there staring at one another letting this unexpected turn of events slowly seep into their muddled brains. Neither had ever expected to see the other man again, and it was a shock to both of them to meet once again under such unforeseen circumstances. Much like a seed that lay dormant for years waiting for the right trigger to make them blossom once more, long forgotten feelings instantly bloomed inside each male.

Pushing the rising feelings aside, Sasuke quickly recovered from his momentary stupor, and smirked. He had never been one to lose his composure for long.

Remembering the all too familiar smirk, Naruto forgot all about the reason he was there in the first place and growled out the first thing that came to mind.

"Bastard."

"Dobe," Sasuke said with his smug smirk still in place.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Naruto yelled, taking a step toward the Uchiha and violently jabbing his chest with his finger.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously at the blonde's action feeling the finger digging into his chest. "I should be asking you the same thing," he said as he grabbed the blonde's hand in a strong grip and pushed it away from his body.

Glaring at the man currently towering over him, Naruto tried to yank his arm out of the Uchiha's hold, but Sasuke only tightened his grip, and forcefully kept the blonde in place.

"Let. Go. Of. Me," Naruto growled out, emphasizing each word as he tried to keep a tight rein on his steadily rising temper.

"No."

That was the last straw, without warning Naruto clenched his free hand and swung it at the raven-haired male using all his strength.

Expecting such a reaction from the blonde, Sasuke easily dodged the fist headed straight for his face and in a flash grabbed the blonde's other hand. At this point, Naruto's temper was boiling hot as he found himself practically in Sasuke's arms, both hands heavily restrained in a vice-like grip.

"If you don't let go of me right fucken now, I'm going to fucken kick your ass," Naruto snarled.

"As if you could," Sasuke taunted, and was almost knocked to the side as the blonde in his arms began to wildly struggle against his hold.

Knowing that he couldn't hold the struggling blonde in place for long, Sasuke released the male in his arms and watched in amusement as Naruto nearly lost his balance.

Freed from the iron grasp, Naruto immediately whirled around to face the raven-haired male; eyes burning with rage; but before he could spit out another insult, Sasuke spoke, sarcasm in every word. "You, the Heir of such a prestigious company?" his eyebrow rose in amusement. "Who had to die to give you such a title?" he taunted the blonde, never imagining he was hitting a sore spot.

For the second time that day the young Uchiha stood in stunned silence as Naruto literally recoiled away from him as if he had burned him with a hot iron poker. Sapphire eyes immediately lost their fire as tears slowly formed making them sparkle with hurt. Sasuke felt his heart clench as he saw the heart-wrenching pain that exuded off the blonde at his words.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto," he immediately apologized as his arm instinctively reached forward to comfort the other male; however, before he touched the other man he realized what he was about to do and instantly stopped his forward motion. Instead he opened his mouth to give the blonde some words of comfort, but quickly closed it seeing as he could say nothing to wipe away the pain radiating off those sapphire eyes—eyes he remembered well.

"I suggest we reschedule this meeting for another time," Sumaru wisely stepped in. He had never imagined that the two males were already acquainted, or have a long and painful history between them as their actions indicated.

"I agree," Karin said from behind the Uchiha. In all her years as Sasuke's personal secretary, she had never known the raven-haired male to act in such a way. He was even showing emotion. There was definitely something between him and the blonde, and she would be damned if she would remain in the dark.

Hearing Sumaru's voice helped Naruto extract himself from the painful memories of Dan's death and recall just where he was and who he was facing. Wiping away the unshed tears from his eyes, Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke. He would not give the asshole the pleasure of seeing him cry, he refused to let the Uchiha get the better of him.

For a minute neither male took their eyes off the other, even when their respective secretaries tried to intervene; they were too busy trying to sort through the hundreds of memories that bombarded their minds due to their close proximity.

"Naruto, maybe you should cancel this meeting," Sumaru tried again. His eyes filled with concern for his boss.

Naruto didn't want to worry his secretary; God knew Sumaru had enough to worry about with just his ordinary duties as his personal secretary. Breaking eye contact with Sasuke, Naruto turned to his secretary, "You're right Sumaru. I'm sorry for worrying you," Naruto told him in a calm voice, which had everyone in his office looking at him in question at his abrupt change in attitude. "We are professionals after all, so we'll act like it," Naruto announced and proceeded to do just that as he calmly walked up to the Uchiha and stuck out his hand initiating a handshake between the two.

Looking at the offered hand, Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. The Naruto he knew would never let him leave without first giving him a taste of his mind along with a good fight, but this Naruto was a completely different person than the one that lived in his memories, which to his surprise saddened him a little, a feeling he quickly squished. He had no business feeling anything toward the blonde. That phase in his life was long over.

Sasuke took the offered hand without hesitation. After firmly shaking hands, the two let go, and the Uchiha watched as Naruto turned away from him and began to walk out of his office only to stop abruptly and turn around walking back to him once more. Not knowing what the dobe was thinking, Sasuke was caught completely off guard when Naruto swung his right hand and punched him in the stomach with all his strength.

Sasuke fell on one knee clutching his stomach as the wind was literally knocked out of him. After regaining enough breath to see straight he raised shocked ebony eyes toward the blonde only to meet livid sapphire ones. "Bastard. Next time you hang up on me, I'll make sure to kick your ass until you can't stand up for a week," Naruto spat as he glared down at the Uchiha. (1)

Without saying another word, Naruto walked out of his office leaving behind a stunned yet pleased Uchiha.

"That's the Dobe I remember," he wheezed out as a violent fit of coughing overtook him, which had Karin rushing to his side.

* * *

_**FLASH.**_

"Damn press," Gaara growled out as he noticed another flash aimed his way. The red-head was currently waiting for Naruto, who was already twenty minutes late, to show up at the restaurant they had agreed to meet at for dinner. Though it might have bothered anyone else to have their dining partner late, it didn't bother the red-head. He was a patient person by nature. However, what did bother him we're the numerous photographers who had nothing better to do but snap random pictures of him.

Since the announcement of his grand debut as a glass artist, Gaara had been hounded by the press as they tried to get him to comment on this or that. It was down right annoying and now with his art show less than two weeks away, the press was even more vigilant than ever before. They were determined to get some gossip on him. But being the secluded person that he was, their efforts proved useless; thus, they had settled with the next best thing: generate some gossip on the mysterious new hot artist. So, the press began to follow him around in an effort to try and match him up with anyone that could possibly be his love interest, or any other pertinent information that the public would eat up.

Gaara simply ignored the photographers knowing they would eventually get tired of stalking such a dull person like him, at least he hoped they did.

"Would you like to order now," asked his male waiter for the third time that evening.

Gaara didn't want to order without Naruto. "I'll wait another ten minutes—"

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled as he literally ran to the table and almost smacked into the waiter. "I'm so sorry I'm late," Naruto instantly apologized, blue eyes pleading for forgiveness.

_**FLASH.**_

Gaara's eye twitched at the flash of light. It took all his patience to refrain himself from glaring at the photographer. If they knew they actually bothered him, then they would never leave him alone.

"Its okay, Naruto," Gaara told him, motioning him to sit down.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto apologized again as he took his seat.

_**FLASH. **_

"You already apologized," Gaara told him, rolling his eyes at the persistent photographers. _"At least there aren't any reporters around. Those snakes would never leave me alone," _Gaara thought to himself.

Naruto wanted to say something more to the red-head but Gaara turned his attention away from him and gave the waiter his order.

Twenty minutes later the two finished their dinner. Naruto had been unusually quiet that evening, a fact that did not escape the red-head's notice. Naruto was never quiet, especially during dinner. Gaara wasn't one to pry, but ever since his arrival the blonde had not been acting like himself. Something was up.

"Naruto what happened today?" Gaara bluntly asked him, watching as the blonde nearly choked on his drink.

_**FLASH. **_

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked him, after he got over the coughing fit.

Gaara merely stared at him giving him a look that said 'You know what I mean'.

Getting nervous, Naruto tried to think of something that would divert Gaara's attention. "You know what Tsunade told me yesterday," he began only to be cut-off by his friend.

"You're avoiding the question Uzumaki."

"_Damn it. This is supposed to be a date… not that Gaara knows it's a date… but damn it, I was supposed to begin courting him tonight, but all I can think about is Sasuke. The fucken Bastard won't get out of my head."_

While Naruto was having his little talk with himself, Gaara patiently waited for his answer; however, when none came, he decided to re-word his question.

"Why were you late?"

Naruto looked nervously at him. "Umm…Umm… I got stuck in traffic," he lied. The truth was he had been such a mess after his encounter with Sasuke that he had completely forgotten about their dinner date.

"You're lying," Gaara glared at him. He didn't like being lied too, no matter the situation.

Remembering Gaara's dishonesty issues, Naruto almost slapped himself on the head. Some date this turned out to be. First, he had been twenty minutes late, barely spoke more than two words throughout dinner, had spent the entire time thinking about someone else, and now he was lying to Gaara who already had trust issues.

"Look I'm sorry Gaara. Really," Naruto apologized as his eyes lost their usual luster. "But I don't want to talk about it right now," he told his friend, letting the fatigue of the day catch up with him. He just wanted to go home, curl up in bed and forget this day ever happened.

Noticing Naruto's distraught attitude, Gaara decided to back off. He would tell him when he was ready.

"It's okay."

"Thanks," Naruto said; eyes gaining some of their usual brightness as he reached over and placed his hand on Gaara's own currently on the table.

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**__**  
**_

Gaara quickly jerked his hand away breaking the contact, and looked away from Naruto. "You know I don't like being touched," he whispered.

"_This is my chance,"_ Naruto thought. _"I can at least salvage part of the evening. Like Ino said, I have to take the first step."_

"I know Gaara… I also know the reason you don't like being touched: You're afraid of being hurt again—but I would never hurt you Gaara," Naruto told him as he scooted closer to the red-head.

_**FLASH.**_

Confused beyond words, Gaara didn't even notice the flash of light as Naruto moved closer to him.

"_Okay, now all I have to do is show him I like him… that way." _

"Gaara I think I—" for the second time that day, Naruto lost all train of thought as his eyes widened in shock at the figure that had just entered the quaint little restaurant.

* * *

"Sasuke why don't you let Kimimaro enjoy the city, I'm sure he would like to explore the city by himself. Then it'll just be the two of us," Karin told the raven-haired male as the three of them entered the small little restaurant.

Busy examining the days events in his mind, Sasuke simply ignored her and asked for a table for three. Though Kimimaro was supposed to act as his bodyguard during his stay in Konoha, Sasuke had never treated him as a mere employee, unlike a certain female secretary that wouldn't stop asking him questions about a certain blonde. Why couldn't she just leave him and his past alone?

"Please follow me," their waiter politely told them as he led them to their table. Sasuke had not taken more than two steps when he abruptly stopped in mid-step. There across the room sat Naruto talking to a red-haired male.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" asked Karin as she followed his eyes to the table where a certain blonde sat.

Sasuke intently watched as Naruto scooted closer to the other male and was surprised as a spurt of jealously shot through his body. However, no sooner had the blonde moved closer to the other man, than he saw him across the room and almost jerked away from the red-haired male as his sapphire eyes widened in shock.

Sasuke smirked. It seemed he could still affect the blonde. "Let's see how much," Sasuke whispered to himself as he headed toward Naruto's table, completely ignoring the waiter's and Karin's call's. He was determined to make the blonde pay for that punch earlier—it had hurt like hell.

* * *

"Would you like anything else," their waiter interrupted them, diverting the red-head's attention away from the blonde. The waiter had arrived at the same time Naruto had spotted Sasuke; thus, Gaara didn't catch the blonde's reaction.

While Gaara waved the waiter away, saying that they didn't need anything else, Naruto was panicking like crazy as he saw Sasuke walking toward him.

For a moment he couldn't move as fear gripped him. Damn it, he couldn't let Sasuke get the upper hand, and he knew if the Uchiha came to their table he would lose it. Damn it! This was supposed to be his new beginning with Gaara. He was supposed to forget all about smug Bastards and start over.

Waiter no longer holding his attention, Gaara turned back to Naruto. "I think its time for me to leave," he told the blonde as he picked up the check and got up.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted as he abruptly stood up and grabbed Gaara's hand from across the table.

_**FLASH. **_

"What are you doing Naruto?" Gaara growled, noticing the added attention the blonde's outburst had placed on them.

"I don't know," Naruto honestly told him. At the moment he was running on autopilot, and he had no idea what he was doing.

The red-head looked at the hand currently restraining him and turned his attention to the limb's owner. "What's going on?" he questioned.

Naruto was officially panicking. Gaara was questioning him, while Sasuke was only a few tables away from him with the ever present smirk still plastered to his face, mocking him, telling him that he still belonged to him.

_**FLASH.**_

"Naruto let go of me," Gaara growled out as he noticed another flash of the camera.

Mind too panicked to think straight, the only thing that registered in the blonde's brain was the Bastard's smug smirk, and the fact that he would do anything to wipe that smirk off his pretty face. Like a cornered animal, Naruto did the first thing that came to mind.

Giving Gaara's hand a solid jerk, Naruto flipped the red-head onto the table; a small grunt escaped the red-head's mouth as his back hit the cool metal. The sound of dishes crashing to the floor startled many diners, but it was nothing to what came next. With a swift pull on the red-head's hand, which he had yet to let go of, Naruto pulled the other male toward him so that his face was now on his side of the table, and in an instant, the blonde swooped down and captured Gaara's lips in a kiss.

_**FLASH. **_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH. **_

_**FLASH. **_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH. **_

_**FLASH. **_

Once his brain registered what was happening, Gaara immediately grabbed a fist full of blonde hair and wrenched Naruto off of him. He couldn't believe Naruto had done that! He knew he hated to be touched. Not knowing what he would do, or say to the blonde if he stayed any longer, Gaara quickly sat up and swiped his mouth with his sleeve determined to leave.

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH. **_

_**FLASH. **_

Naruto, whose brain was barely registering what he'd just done, could only watch in horror as Gaara got off the small table and without looking back at him exited the double doors of the restaurant at a fast pace. He did not look happy, in fact, he had looked almost furious.

"Shit!"

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

Naruto immediately ran after his friend, but not before noticing the absence of a certain Uchiha.

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

_**FLASH.**_

* * *

"So, he delivered the requested amount once more," Kabuto said to himself as he picked up a small vial from the nearest crate. Seeing the Hyuuga symbol on the small vial, Kabuto frowned. "We're going to have to transfer everything to new vials and bottles," he told one of the employee's. "We can't have the Hyuuga symbol on the medication I have personally created for Neji now can we," Kabuto chuckled as he ordered two employees to get rid of the containers once the transfer was complete.

Hiding inside the ventilation shaft just above the laboratory, Neji stared in shock at the five crates where the pills and vials had arrived. He couldn't believe it.

Back in the lab, one of the new employees picked up one of bottle of pills and dumbly shook it scrunching up his nose in puzzlement. "I don't understand why you just don't ask for money in the ransom. I mean, if you're going to use Neji as blackmail, why not milk it for everything its worth?" he asked Kabuto, not understanding why they always asked for the medication in order to keep the Hyuuga alive. In his opinion, they were demanding the wrong thing.

Kabuto ignored the man's question, not even bothering to explain.

Seeing everything he needed to know, Neji slowly began to make his way back to his room via the ventilations shaft. He was careful to be as quiet as possible.

Once back in his room, the young Hyuuga let out a shout of pain as he let loose his temper and punched the wall with all his strength.

"I'm such an idiot," he harshly whispered to himself as a river of tears fell from his eyes and onto his now bleeding hand; the salt in his tears, increasing the pain but he didn't bother to move his hand. He deserved it after all.

"I have to go back," he whispered to himself.

* * *

1) Naruto is referring to the time Sasuke broke up with him. The Uchiha hung up on him while the blonde was still insulting him. Guess Naruto didn't appreciate it. LOL.

So there it is; chapter 2. Tell me what you think of this chapter. Next chapter will be more like "the morning after". Naruto will try to talk to Gaara, but he ends up talking to Sasuke instead. I dare you to guess what happens. Gaara's art show is about to debut, but I'm not quite sure if it will debut in chapter 3 or 4 yet. Neji, well Neji, has just decided to return, but will he be able to escape his gilded cage?

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)


	3. Arrival

A/N:

This chapter is set on the same day as the last Chapter just a few hours later.

I just want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, I love reading all your comments. Also, I want to give a special thanks to Aikage who wrote the longest review I've ever received. Thanks so much. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

* * *

_**Arrival**_

_(Last chapter)_

_Seeing everything he needed to know, Neji slowly began to make his way back to his room via the ventilations shaft. He was careful to be as quiet as possible. _

_Once back in his room, the young Hyuuga let out a shout of pain as he let loose his temper and punched the wall with all his strength._

"_I'm such an idiot," he harshly whispered to himself as a river of tears fell from his eyes and onto his now bleeding hand; the salt in his tears, increasing the pain but he didn't bother to move his hand. He deserved it after all. _

"_I have to go back," he whispered to himself. _

_(End of Last Chapter)_

* * *

One hour before midnight, a male figure dressed in all black and carrying a black knapsack quietly slipped inside a dark laboratory. The figure slowly made his way through the dark room filled with expensive equipment until he reached the main computer where all information was kept. Nimble fingers made quick work of the many security check points that popped up and within minutes, the figure hacked into the computer's mainframe.

An hour later, the figure shut-down the computer after having finished his task. Weary of turning on the light, lest someone find him inside, the mysterious male took out a small flashlight he had brought with him and turned it on. The room was instantly illuminated. The male immediately covered his eyes at the abrupt change in lighting, and took a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the light before heading toward the familiar cabinet that held an array of chemicals. He quickly scanned the various containers until he found what he was looking for: two large containers one with the label "Pure Carbon" and the other with the label "Pure Nitric Acid".

After placing the two large containers on the counter, the figure slipped his knapsack off his shoulder and reached inside pulling out a piece of paper covered with various calculations. For the next few minutes, the male busied himself looking over his calculations, after all one wrong decimal point and he would be dead before he could blink. Satisfied with his calculations, the figure began to carefully measure out the appropriate amount of each chemical, each in a different container. He was extra careful with the pure nitric acid. After all, there was a _**very**_ good reason why it was rare thing indeed for a scientist to work with a pure acid. Most scientists usually worked with watered down versions of dangerous acids. These mixtures had only about 0.25 to 1 percent (out of 100 percent) of the actual acid, while the rest was water.

After measuring out the appropriate amount, the figure began with next step in his plan. Pulling out some gadgets from his knapsack, the mysterious male quickly began to build a simple, but effect apparatus that enabled him to mix the two chemicals together at the push of a button. He would press the button when he was sure he was at least a quarter of a mile away from the lab. He didn't want to get caught in the after math of his creation.

Finished with his tasks, the male picked up his knapsack and turned off his flashlight. Again, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark before heading for the door.

At the door, the male pulled out a small mirror from his knapsack, and slipped the item underneath the door. He rotated the mirror every which way in order to see if the coast was clear. It was.

As quietly as the figure slipped inside the lab, he slipped out of it just the same. Once outside the lab, the male immediately pressed himself against the wall and blended in with the dark wall. Making sure he didn't run into any of the night guards, the male silently made his way to a specific exit, whose alarm he had dismantled earlier that day, located on the east side of the compound. However, when he was ten meters away from the exit was forced to stop as he rounded the corner. There, standing right in front of the exit—his freedom—stood five night guards.

"Fuck," the black-clad male whispered to himself as he stepped back around the corner so that the guards couldn't see him. Taking a calming breath, the figure crouched low on the ground and took a peek at the five guards and analyzed his situation. The guards didn't look like they would be leaving soon, seeing as they were talking and joking around with each other; they weren't going anywhere any time soon. He had two choices: 1) he could wait them out, and hope to God that another night guard didn't discover him while he waited for the men in front of him to move on with their rounds, or 2) he could take them out and leave right now; though it would be difficult, after all, they were trained guards and not just some dumb hired guns.

In the dark corridor, a black-clad figure smiled a feral smile. Screw option one, he was going to knock them out, and get the Hell out of this godforsaken place.

Knowing he was more than a quarter mile away from the lab, the male made his decision as he pulled out the detonator he had pocketed back in the lab. The dark figure quickly lay down on the floor and took a calming breath of air before pushing the button.

Back in the lab, pure carbon and pure nitric acid mixed together and created an unstoppable chemical reaction. As soon as the two compounds touched one another the lab exploded in a reign of fire; the force of the explosion powerful enough to take out the entire west side of the compound, most of the south side, part of the north and east side and the entire courtyard just beyond the laboratory which was located in the west side of the compound. Everything within a quarter of a mile was caught in the explosion. (1)

The force of the explosion violently slammed three of the guards straight into the corridor walls and the other two were knocked off their feet by the force of the air rushing at them at top speed.

After the initial rush of air whizzed by him, the black-clad male immediately jumped to his feet and ran toward the five guards, one of which had been knocked out when he had been slammed into the wall.

Disoriented from the unexpected blow, the rest of the guards were slow in getting up, an advantage the figure quickly exploited. With a single but powerful blow to the head, he made quick work of the closest guard to him, and before the guard hit the floor, the figure was already on the second guard. However, the guard had seen what he had done to his comrade, and immediately blocked his attack, countering it with a punch to his torso, which he easily dodged. By this time, the other two guards, who were still conscious, were already surrounding him; smiles on their faces as each pulled out a switchblade from their back pocket, and with a flick of their wrists opened them. They were ready to spill blood.

The three guards circled the black-clad male like a pack of wolves who just found their next meal. They were trying to intimidate him and make him nervous enough to make a mistake, but he would not fall for their tricks. Calmly standing in the center, looking at no one in particular, the black-clad male simply waited for one of the men to make a move.

He did not have to wait long, as two of the guards, to his right and left, rushed him in an attempt to mortally stab him. The guard to the left aimed for his thigh, while the guard to the right aimed for his throat.

With a grace born of years of training with his uncle in their family's unique fighting style, the black-clad male dodged the man to his right and in a flash grabbed his armed hand, while he kicked the guard aiming for his thigh, knocking the wind out of him. With a twist of his arm, and another well-aimed kick, the figure managed to wrench the knife away from the guard.

Hearing a noise from behind, the figure immediately reacted and crouched down, kicking the legs from underneath the third guard who had tried to attack him from behind in a surprise attack. Not wasting his time, the black-clad male immediately jumped on the fallen guard and punched him several times before he knocked him out as well. Still on top of the unconscious guard, the black-clad male grunted in pain as he felt the sharp bite of a knife as it sliced through his left shoulder.

Using his right hand, the black-clad male punched his last attacker in the face earning him a few moments of reprieve. The male hissed in pain as he rolled off the unconscious body beneath him, and clutching his injured shoulder, faced his last opponent.

"You're going to pay for what you did," the last guard yelled in a crazed tone as he circled the injured male who had taken out his buddies. "You were lucky the first time," the guard told him, referring to the fact that the figure had taken away his weapon, which he had immediately replaced with one of his fallen comrade's. "You won't be able to take away my knife again," the guard promised.

Ignoring the blood running down his shoulder, the figure paid little head to his words and instead kept his eyes fixed on his opponent's movements. He could not afford to be caught off-guard again. Due to the last attack, he was at a big disadvantage what with his injury and no weapon to call his own. Having no other options left to him, the figure slipped off his knapsack that had been partially severed when he had received his injury and used it as his weapon.

Seeing what the male had done, the guard roared in laughter. "You think that bag of yours is going to save you from my knife, well think again," the guard told him as he rushed him aiming the blade straight for his abdomen.

The male kept his eyes fixed on the blade that was fast approaching him, and with a quick adjustment of his knapsack, caught the blade with the bag and instantly twisted the bag wrenching the knife away from his attacker for the second time.

Surprised by his opponent's move, the guard didn't see the next attack as the figure used his uninjured shoulder and aimed for the juncture of his neck. The guard was unconscious before his brain even registered that he'd been hit.

"A weapon is only as good as its wielder," the male whispered to the silent room as he carefully slipped his knapsack back on.

He needed to leave _**NOW**_, before he encountered any more guards. He was loosing too much blood and if he had to fight anyone else he wasn't sure if he'd make it. Gritting his teeth in an attempt to ignore the pain, the figure slipped outside and headed for the gates, hoping to evade any more guards.

The male was lucky that the guards were too busy trying to extinguish the fire that had yet to die down, due to his little creation that they didn't see as he slipped through the iron gates. Once outside the compound that had kept him a prisoner for the last five years, the black-clad figure ran, each step taking him closer and closer to freedom.

Several miles away from the compound, the figure finally spotted a payphone, and instantly made a bee-line for the telephone booth. Breathing harshly, the male took several minutes too calm both his breathing and racing heart.

Working slowly due to his injured shoulder, the figure pulled out a few coins out of his knapsack and inserted them into the payphone. Moments later, he was dialing a number he had committed to memory long ago and never forgotten.

He knew it was late, but he still held the hope that his uncle would pick up, yet with each ring of the phone, his hope slowly dwindled until heard a click of the phone and a clear, "Hello."

"Uncle?" he whispered, hoping it was him.

"N-Neji? …Neji! … Neji is that you? Where are you?!" Hiashi franticly asked as he fully woke up having been asleep only moments before.

Hiashi had been asleep when he heard his personal phone ringing. Even though it was almost one o'clock in the morning, he had picked it up, knowing it must have been an emergency since only a handful of people knew his personal line.

"Neji! Are you there? Answer me!" Hiashi said as he clutched the phone to his ear. He couldn't believe that after all these years of searching for his nephew, he had finally found his brother's son.

"Uncle… I need your help," Neji whispered as he asked for his uncle's help for the first time in his life; all the while wiping tears of joy from his face.

After quickly informing Hiashi about his situation, Hiashi immediately prepared his private jet and went after his nephew. Four hours later, his jet landed at a small airfield.

Neji wasn't stupid, he knew Kabuto would send his men after him, after all without him, how could the grey-haired medic continue his research on the Hyuuga virus, especially now that he had destroyed any and all information about the virus Kabuto had stored in the laboratory computer. After reading through Kabuto's notes on the virus, Neji found out the grey-haired medic's true purpose. Kabuto did want to find a cure for the virus, but only as a precautionary step, since his real goal was to synthesize the virus itself, for what purpose, Neji had no idea.

Thus, Neji had to leave the city as soon as possible. He told his uncle to meet him at an airfield just a few miles out side the city, so in order to meet Hiashi at the airfield, Neji had to keep moving at top speed.

When the jet finally arrived, Hiashi immediately opened the doors upon landing, and jumped off the jet, not bothering to wait for the pilot to shut off the engine.

Hiashi then franticly searched the small airfield for his nephew, only to find no sign of him. After questioning everyone at the airfield if they had seen anyone that matched Neji's description, Hiashi was at a loss. Where was his nephew?

Not knowing why Neji was late, Hiashi did the only thing he could think of; he searched for him outside the airfield. He made out a check of a ridiculous amount of money and bought a car from one of the employee's that worked at the airfield, not caring in the least about its appearance as long as it ran and had enough gas to get him into the city, and immediately went to go look for Neji.

Five miles from the airfield, Hiashi found his nephew passed out near the edge of the dirt road from blood loss. Hiashi immediately stopped the car and with some help from his personal guard, who had not left his side the entire time, he brought Neji's unconscious body inside the car after having checked his pulse.

Inside the car, his body guard, having extensive medical experience, checked Neji's condition, while Hiashi drove back to the airfield.

Half and hour later, the jet took off, heading back to Konoha. After his body guard, Genma Shiranui, dressed and bound his nephew's wound, Hiashi sat next to Neji's still unconscious form.

"I'll never allow anyone to hurt you again," Hiashi promised him as he bent down and gently kissed his temple.

* * *

After the news hit the stands that morning, literally, the office had been in an uproar. Every newspaper in Konoha had the same picture plastered on their front page: Naruto kissing Gaara, who was sprawled across a table; hands clutching blonde locks.

Currently, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Temari, and Shino were all inside Kiba's office trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. Ino had only just told Naruto about the whole dating Gaara idea Friday night. It had only been two days since the conversation, yet there was Naruto on every newspaper kissing what she could only presume was a very pissed off Gaara. That had definitely been one heck of a wake up call that morning; it had worked better than any cold shower.

"I didn't think he would do it this fast," Ino commented, stunned. "I thought it would take him at least a month before he finally admitted that he and Gaara might have a chance."

"Well, looks like he did," Temari put in, neither happy nor angry at the blatant shot of Naruto kissing her younger brother that was plastered all over each newspaper. She knew about Gaara's no touch policy, heck she'd seen him beat up a guy twice his size for simply running a finger down his jaw, so why would Naruto kiss him and in such an exhibitionist sort-of-way? Why would Gaara let him? Did he let him? There were too many questions and with Naruto's inconspicuous absence from the office that day, she didn't have anyone to ask. Of course, she could always ask her brother but she had a suspicious feeling that he would probably throw her out of his house, as he'd done on numerous occasions, before he answered a single one of her questions.

"Oh, this is gold!" Kiba enthusiastically said aloud as he finished reading the Konoha tribune he had picked up. "Listen to this," Kiba told them half laughing as he began to read out loud.

"… _the young man, who we have identified as Uzumaki Naruto, the infamous Heir of __**Advocate**__, and Sabaku Gaara, coincidently 10 percent owner of the same company, had a lover's spat during their romantic dinner at 'Villa delle Stelle (Villa of the Stars). The young artist, being upset with his lover, immediately got up to leave once they finished their dinner. However, before Gaara could walk away from him, Naruto swiftly reached across their table and roughly grabbed his hand, and in a shocking display of what we can only presume to be jealous rage, with a swift pull of his hand Naruto brought Gaara crashing down onto their table, bringing their dishes crashing to the floor. It was then that Naruto looked down at young artist, who was currently too shocked by his lover's brash actions too do anything but stare up at him, and in an instant captured his lips in a passionate kiss which had Gaara running his hands through his lover's golden locks. The kiss was—" _

"Kiba that's enough," Ino cut-in as she swiftly took away the newspaper from his hand. "You know as well as I do that those reports are only half-truths and in some cases totally fabricated. We have to talk to Naruto and ask him what really happened," she told them as she turned around to face her fiancé, "Has he came into the office yet?" she asked Choji.

Choji shook his head, "I asked around and no one seems to have seen him today, and Sumaru is locked in Naruto's office. The only person who's seen him is Tsunade and her secretary, Shizune," he told her.

"I bet he's dead," Kiba said grinning from ear to ear like a fool as he looked at all the tabloids spread over his desk. He couldn't imagine Gaara letting him off so easily without breaking a few bones. Shoot, he'd witnessed Gaara beat a guy shitless for less than Naruto had done, and in public to top it all off. Yup, Naruto was definitely six feet under.

"Don't be ridiculous Kiba. Gaara wouldn't kill Naruto over something as trivial as a kiss. Besides, it's not like he Frenched him, it was a simple peck on the lips," Ino interjected, though she knew that the red-head had _**not**_ done _**anything**_ either. Gaara would definitely inflict bodily harm on anyone who dared to do such a thing to him. Poor Naruto, she really felt bad for the blonde moron.

"Well, maybe not killed him per say, maybe he just beat the living shit out of him," Kiba told them, already imaging a beat up Naruto lying in his bed as they spoke.

Ino couldn't help but agree with the dog-lover. "I thought Naruto would slowly try to get close to Gaara and then maybe talk to him about getting together. I never expected him to molest the poor guy. I mean, he knows how violent Gaara tends to get when someone doesn't respect his personal space," the blonde said, looking once more at the photos.

"It's like playing with fire."

* * *

"If I had known you were going to generate your own press, I wouldn't have bothered scheduling that press conference next week," a grinning Kakashi told a very pissed off Gaara as he threw ten newspapers on the table; each one sporting a large picture of Naruto and Gaara and their infamous kiss on the front page. "Glad you two decided not to involve any tongue," Kakashi added as he began to analyze how this new development could change Gaara's image. "The kiss is cute and innocent, makes you look adorable, but the conditions it was given in," Kakashi said referring to the fact that Gaara was practically sprawled out on top of a table inside a lively restaurant clutching Naruto's hair, "gives you an edge; makes you look… smexy."

That was the last straw. "Get out!" Gaara yelled as he literally threw the older man out of his house, and glared down at him from his doorway. He was pissed.

"Tsks. Just because you're an artist doesn't mean you have to be so temperamental Gaara," Kakashi chastised him, only to have a livid Gaara slam the door in his face before locking it with an audible click of the lock.

Not bothered by the red-head's abrupt actions, Kakashi picked himself off the ground where he had landed due to Gaara's less than respectful treatment of him. Brushing any dirt off of him, a grinning Kakashi walked back to his car. This new turn of events could definitely work in their favor. After all, you couldn't buy news like that.

Back inside the scenic cottage, a livid red-head was pacing back and forth like a wild animal. _"It couldn't have been just one, or two, even three newspapers that put that damn picture in the front page. Oh no, it had to be every fucken paper. Every single paper in Konoha had to put their damn picture in their front page!" _as Gaara thoughts grew more and more hectic, the red-head lost all reason. "I'm going to KILL Naruto!" he yelled as he clutched his keys in fury, and slammed his door on the way out.

Naruto was dead.

* * *

Inside his mini mansion, a very nervous blonde male was almost succeeding in wearing a hole in his carpet due to the incessant pacing he'd been doing all day. He called his secretary earlier that morning and told him he was going to take the day off for personal matters, a lie Sumaru didn't buy, but didn't question either.

Stopping his incessant pacing, a tired Naruto ran a calloused hand down his face. "How could I have been so stupid?" he asked himself as he remembered last night's events after he went chasing after Gaara.

Looking for Sasuke's whereabouts instead of immediately running after Gaara had been a bad idea on his part, and it had cost the blonde precious time. By the time Naruto caught up to the red-head, Gaara was already pulling out of the parking lot. However, this didn't stop the blonde from trying to apologize to his friend which almost got him run over by a livid Gaara. Let's just say, after that incident Naruto decided to let Gaara cool off before trying to apologize again.

Naruto tried calling him, but Gaara didn't pick up his phone, so he had to resign himself with apologizing over the phone, numerous times.

"I need to talk to Gaara face to face, even if it means I won't be able to walk for a week. I rather take what's coming than lose his friendship," the blonde said aloud as he grabbed his keys and headed out, stepping on the day's newspaper—he never even saw the blatant picture of himself and Gaara on the front cover.

Once he slipped inside his car, the blonde drove out of his driveway, fully determined to go to talk to the red-head. As he began the hour-long drive that it took to get to Gaara's home, Naruto let his mind wander to the past. It was half an hour later before the blonde even notice that he was heading in the opposite direction of Gaara's place, and before he knew it, he was at the lake.

Inside his car, Naruto blinked in confusion. _"Why am I here?" _he thought to himself as he looked around. It hadn't changed one bit, everything still looked the same from all those years ago when he was little.

Deciding he might as well walk around a bit before leaving, the blonde slipped out of his car, and walked to the water's edge. He could see his himself in the water's surface. He had grown so much since the last time he'd seen his reflection across these waters. How happy he'd been then…

As he stared at his reflection, another dark figure joined his own bright one. It was almost a direct contrast to his own, instead of tanned skin, the figure had pale light skin, and dark onyx eyes to his bright sapphire ones. Raven locks to his golden ones.

"Why are you here?" the blonde directed the question to the reflection on the surface of the water, never looking at the person beside him.

"I went out for a walk and ended up here. I've been here for a few hours," Sasuke answered, never looking at the blonde beside him, instead keeping his eyes on the bright figure next to his own dark one reflected in the cold waters. "When I saw you walking down to the lake, I decided I might as well talk to you," Sasuke told him as he turned to face the person next to him, which had the blonde turning to face him as well. "My secretary has arranged another meeting with you. I need to know if I should request a different person to meet with or will you—"

"Like I told you before," Naruto growled as he clenched his hands into two tight fists, "We are professionals, so we'll act like it."

Seeing the blonde desperately trying to control himself had Sasuke instantly smirking. "You did say something like that minutes before you punched me, and left me in your office."

"You deserved that, Bastard."

"Hn."

Naruto's temper was slowly rising as he talked to the Uchiha, so he decided to just cut to the point. "Don't worry about our next meeting. I will act like a professional and treat you the same way as I would any other client. I will look at your proposal and if I think it will benefit the company, I will sign the contract, and that will be the end of our correspondence. But, if I believe that your proposal will not benefit my company, then I'll reject your contract, and you'll leave and we'll never have to talk to each other again. Either way, after I make my decision, we will part ways. I don't want to see you ever again after this," a serious Naruto told him as sapphire eyes bore into onyx ones.

Sasuke inclined his head in acknowledgment. "After this deal is over, I will stay away from you and never enter your life again." With those words, Sasuke turned around and walked away.

Naruto, still standing where the Uchiha had left him, narrowed his eyes as Sasuke abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around enough to look at him. "By the way, congratulations," Sasuke told him, clenching his hand as every fowl word left his mouth. "I hope you and your partner have a happy life together."

Whatever Naruto was expecting the Uchiha to say, or do, this certainly wasn't it. "What the hell are you talking about?" a confused blonde asked.

"Who else would you be kissing on the front page of every newspaper in Konoha?" Sasuke casually asked him; though the blatant jealous rage reflected off his stormy onyx eyes betrayed any calmness he might have displayed.

Naruto's eyes were as big as saucers at the Uchiha's words. "What did you say?" he whispered as he took a step back, away from Sasuke.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed at Naruto's suspicious behavior.

"Please tell me, you didn't just say that _**every**_ newspaper in Konoha has a picture of me and Gaara kissing" Naruto stated more than asked as he clutched his head in terror, totally ignoring Sasuke as the implications of his words fully registered in his brains.

"**FUCK! He's going to kill me!**" the blonde yelled as he ran back to his car and drove back to his house, leaving a very curious Uchiha behind.

* * *

Ding-Dong.

Several minutes passed before the bell was heard again.

Ding-Dong.

The figure in front of a certain blonde's home, waited another few minutes before deciding no one was going to open the door. Moments later, shards of glass flew in all directions as the figure kicked the window next to the door, shattering it to pieces.

The crunch of broken glass was amplified by the silence as the figure stepped inside the house through the now broken window.

"Naruto, we have to talk," Gaara said aloud, hoping the blonde was nearby so that he wouldn't have to look for him. However, his words were met with silence.

Gaara calmly walked into the kitchen and when he saw no sign of Naruto, he moved on to his bedroom. From experience, Gaara knew that Naruto could usually be found in either one of three rooms in the small mansion. One being the kitchen, second being the living room, and third being his bedroom. Knowing that Naruto would have heard his loud entrance from the living room, Gaara headed to the third room that Naruto might be occupying.

Not bothering to knock, Gaara reached for the doorknob of Naruto's bedroom and turned the handle. The door easily gave way and the murderous, yet calm red-head silently walked inside only to be met with an empty room.

After taking a look around the spacious bedroom, Gaara reached a conclusion: Naruto was not home. The blonde would have faced him if he knew he was in his house, even if it meant a few broken bones. That was just the way Naruto was, so seeing as no blonde came to greet him, Gaara assumed he must have been out.

"Hmmm, that's probably why no one answered the door," Gaara mused, feeling not the slightest twinge of guilt for breaking the blonde's window.

Looking around Naruto's bedroom once more, Gaara noticed a black-leather planner on the nightstand next to the bed and frowned. Naruto never left that little notebook behind, it might as well be attached to his body for all the times he'd seen it off the blonde.

"_Why did he leave it behind?" _

Sitting down at the head of the bed near the night stand, the red-head reached for the small black planner and took a look inside, figuring it would tell him where Naruto was at the moment. The blonde wrote everything in that book.

So, sitting on the blonde's bed, Gaara opened his planner and was shocked to find so many entries about him. Turning page after page, Gaara resolve to kill the blonde slowly dwindled as he read the entries the blonde had written about him. Every month had at least ten entries about him. He couldn't believe Naruto spent so much time trying to keep him company so he wouldn't feel lonely. Just a few incomplete entries

_**February 6**_

… _**must get Gaara's pills from the doctor and make him take them, even if I have to force them down his stubborn throat… Also, make sure to leave my car on, so I can get the hell out of there as fast as I can before he kills me for making him take his medicine… **_

_**February 12**_

… _**have to trick Gaara into going out into the city, he's been stuck in his house for two weeks now… Also, I need to be sneaky and invite myself to his house next Friday so he won't be lonely on Valentine's Day…**_

_**April 6**_

… _**It's been a week; I have to face Gaara sometime. Hope he isn't still mad about the whole April Fool's prank I played on him…**_

_**May 2**_

… _**must drag Gaara to get a haircut. His hair's longer than mine! . . .**_

_**June 20**_

… _**drag, trick, threaten, kidnap, whatever it takes to get Gaara to the beach party Kiba invited us to. I'll make him have fun if my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto! …**_

_**August 27**_

… _**make sure to remind Gaara that he HAS to attend the 4 o'clock meeting next Tuesday. I'll personally pick him up so he can't make up some excuse why he couldn't come…**_

_**September 17**_

…_**have to ask Gaara out to dinner and start operation: Uzumaki-Sabaku Gaara! …**_

Teal eyes widen in shock at the last entry, and a stunned Gaara almost dropped the planner. The blonde had written the entry yesterday.

Carefully placing the book back where he found it, Gaara bent his head down and looked at the floor as he digested this new information. He never knew how much Naruto actually cared for him. But, Uzumaki-Sabaku Gaara? What the hell was Naruto thinking!

Ignoring the last entry, which slightly disturbed him, Gaara focused on the rest of the entries the blonde had written about him and found that all Naruto had ever tried to be was his friend. Again, excluding the last entry, which the red-head had to talk to Naruto about; where had the blonde gotten such a ridiculous idea?

"_He's always been there for me, and he's always worrying himself sick about me." _Still staring at the floor, Gaara smiled a bitter smile. _"Seems that all I've given him in return are headaches and frustration." _

No longer furious with the blonde, Gaara rose from the bed and walked out the bedroom. He could forgive Naruto this once, after all, hadn't the blonde sacrificed enough for him. It was time Gaara started acting like the friend Naruto deserved.

Mind made up, Gaara headed for the door only to find a shocked Naruto gawking at the shattered glass on his floor.

Hearing the crunch of glass, Naruto's head snapped up in the direction of the noise and came face to face with Gaara.

"G-Gaara!"

Revealing no emotion from his cold teal eyes, Gaara's only response was the movement of his feet as he walked toward the blonde.

At his action, Naruto's eyes widen another fraction of an inch as he backed away from his friend, but his movement soon stopped as his back hit the wall. All he could do was squeeze his eyes shut and wait for the inevitable.

After a minute passed and he still didn't feel Gaara's wrath rain pain upon him, Naruto slowly peered through one sapphire eye, and almost yelped in surprise as he saw Gaara standing right in front of him, looking neither angry nor happy.

"Gaara! I'msorryaboutlastnight,Idon'tknowwhatcameoverme.Iwillneverdo—" Naruto franticly apologized.

"Naruto," Gaara tried to interrupt him, barely understanding the blonde.

"thatagain.Iswear.IbarelyfoundoutaboutthenewspapersrightnowandIcamestraightback,GaaraI—"

"Naruto," Gaara tried again, this time raising his voice a little which got the blonde's instant attention.

"Please don't kill me," the blonde squeaked, before shutting up due to the glare currently aimed his way.

"I can't kill you, until I become a good friend to you," Gaara told him.

Out of all the things Naruto was expecting, had imagined, Gaara to say, this was definitely not it. "What?"

Gaara sighed as he stepped away from Naruto, giving the blonde some room. "You've been a good friend to me Naruto, better than anyone I could have ever asked for, and you've never asked for anything in return. But all I've been to you is a burden—"

"Gaara that's not true," Naruto instantly defended him, stepping closer to him.

Gaara smiled. "You would say that. But, the truth is, I haven't been a good friend to you lately have I? Tell me what happened to you yesterday that made you act the way you did? And no lies this time," he warned.

"Wait, wait, wait," the blonde said as he tried to wrap his brain around this new development. "Let me get this straight. You shattered my window to pieces, broke into my house, only to tell me that you want to be a better friend to me," Naruto said aloud.

"I was intent on killing you when I first shattered your window," Gaara defended himself, which had Naruto laughing nervously. "But after reading through your planner, I realized that it's about time I tried to be a better friend to you," Gaara told him told him truthfully.

"Oh," Naruto said, not really knowing what to say to that.

"But," Gaara warned. "I won't hesitate to kill you if you don't forget about this whole 'Uzumaki-Sabaku Gaara' idea. Where the hell did that come from?"

"So, you read that," a sheepish Naruto said as he began to rub the back of his neck with one hand in a nervous gesture. "I guess I have to explain myself, won't I?"

Gaara waited in expectation for the Naruto's explanation, which had the blonde gesturing him to the kitchen. This was turning out to be another LONG day for Naruto.

* * *

Around five o'clock, Neji woke up in his old bedroom in the Hyuuga mansion. Hundreds of memories assaulted him as he looked at his old walls, his old sheets, his old entertainment area, the list went on. His emotions were spiraling out of control so that he had to take a moment to control the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He had done enough crying already.

Hearing a commotion coming from her cousin's bedroom, Hinata quietly opened the door to peer inside. There sitting up on his bed, was her cousin. Her usual pretty face instantly transformed into a beautiful visage as she let her happiness engulf her. Still fighting with his emotions, Neji barely heard as the door to his bedroom slowly opened and by the time he looked up, he was met with a dazzling smile from his oldest cousin.

"Neji. You're awake!" shouted a 12 year old Hanabi as she pushed open the door and ran past Hinata and literally threw herself on her older cousin currently lying in bed.

Neji cringed a little as she hit his injured shoulder, but said nothing and instead let her hug him to her hearts content. Hiashi, who had entered with Hinata, walked up to his bed and merely smiled at the scene before him.

"How are you feeling?" Hinata asked him, looking at his injured shoulder.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking dear cousin," he addressed her formally as he bowed his head, in a show of respect, toward both she and his uncle. However, before he could bend more than a few centimeters, Hiashi gently placed his hand on his uninjured shoulder successfully stopping him at mid-bow.

"There's no need for that Neji. You are family," Hiashi told him with sincere eyes as he removed his hand from Neji's shoulder.

Before Neji could say anything at his statement, Hanabi was already clambering for his attention, which he happily gave her. Hiashi watched this interaction with happiness, and allowed his daughters to interact with Neji for another half hour before he asked them to give him a moment alone with him.

Hinata and Hanabi both hugged and gave Neji a kiss on both cheeks before leaving.

"Come Hanabi," Hinata gestured to her younger sister. "We should get Neji some food. He hasn't eaten since he got here this morning. He must be hungry."

With that, both girls left his room, closing the door behind them.

Hiashi turned his attention back to his nephew and placed a chair next to Neji's bed, before sitting on it.

"How are you?" he asked Neji.

"I'm fine," Neji told him.

"Will you tell me what happened?" he asked his nephew.

Looking at his uncle's sincere eyes, Neji merely sighed before starting at them beginning. It was the least he could do after his uncle welcomed him with such open arms. So, he told him everything.

"It was a daring escape Neji, but you could have gotten hurt, especially with the mini bomb you made with those two chemicals," a worried Hiashi told him after he finished.

"I knew what I was doing, uncle," Neji told him. "You were the one who trained me in the Hyuuga style of fighting. Thanks to you, I was able to properly defend myself, and I've worked with plenty of dangerous chemicals in the lab these last few years. Besides, I've taken many chemistry courses and passed them all with A's. I knew what I was doing when I created that bomb."

Hiashi sighed, "I still don't understand how you managed to become a credited doctor without one of my detectives finding out about it. I hired the best detectives in the country and no one could find any information on you, I just don't understand…" Hiashi admitted.

"I did complete almost all of my studies outside of the classroom, and I managed to receive my Master's in the field of Medicine in just four years, since I took as many classes as was allowed by the school board. I took on a full-load of science and math courses every fall, spring and summer semester. The only time I actually entered the classroom was to take a test, since all my assignments were turned in by one of the guards, and any lab work I simply completed in the compound under the supervision of a lab instructor, who came onto the compound to teach me due to a special permission Kabuto managed to get from the University. I never thought to ask Kabuto how he managed to obtain such permission from the University," Neji told him truthfully. (2)

"Either way, I'm proud of you, Neji. I'm just glad you managed to destroy any information that medic had on the virus. If there was something you might have missed, I'm sure it would have been destroyed in the explosion, or the fire. I'll make sure to tell Genma to pick up your knapsack from the jet and retrieve the disk in which you stored all the information of the virus. That was a smart move on your part Neji, now our scientist will have all the information you and Kabuto discovered about the virus. You did a good job Neji," a proud Hiashi told him.

"I didn't do a good job," Neji told him, ashamed of himself. "I merely attempted to correct the mistakes I made. I can't believe I was so stupid," Neji rebuked himself. "It took hundreds of Hyuuga scientist's decades to come up with the medication. How could I have so easily believed him when he told me he had already synthesized the medication that would keep me alive?" Neji continued as he clutched the sheets with his hands.

"He caught you when you were most vulnerable, Neji," Hiashi told him. "You were an emotional wreck and he used that to his advantage, no one can fault you for that. You were unstable."

Neji merely nodded his head, neither believing him nor denying the truth in his words. "I was too concerned with my studies to suspect anything, but about a year ago, I began to notice that he was more concerned with the virus itself. As time went on, I began to suspect his true motives, and it wasn't until yesterday that I finally found the proof that I needed. I can't believe he blackmailed you for five years and gave me the medication saying he had made it!" Neji harshly said.

"Neji, its okay," Hiashi told him, and seeing the protest light up in his nephews eyes, he quickly continued. "Even with the medication, he cannot discover the components of the virus. Besides, I took extra precautions and ordered the medic that prepared your medication to add an extra ingredient that would make the medication obsolete after one year. So, even if Kabuto kept any medication, after one year it would have been worthless."

Neji merely inclined his head, what else could he do?

"It's late. You must be hungry," Hiashi told him as he rose from the chair. "Oh, and before I forget, I told everyone that you had been planning to study abroad in the U.S. A., as part of the foreign branch of the company, for some time before you left. I explained to everyone that the reason for your unexpected departure was due to the fact, that the position you were seeking had unexpectedly opened up, and needed to be filled immediately. Except for Hinata and myself, everyone thinks you've been studying abroad in the U.S.A. for the last five years."

Neji was stunned speechless. Not only did his uncle welcome him back with open arms, but he had made it so, no one would suspect nor blame him for his five year absence. He had given him the chance to start over afresh. "Thank you." He sincerely thanked him as his eyes watered once again.

"We've returned bearing gifts," Hanabi interrupted them as she made her grand entrance with Hinata by her side. "Neji! We made you all your favorite foods," Hanabi enthusiastically announced as she jumped on his bed, shining smile in place.

Carrying the tray of food, Hinata asked Hanabi to get off the bed so that Neji could eat, a request Hanabi complied with without complaint. Opening up the legs of the trey, Hinata placed the trey over Neji's legs.

"We should let him eat and rest for another while before we bother him again," Hiashi suggested as he, and his two daughters left a content Neji behind.

Neji looked at all his favorite foods that were scattered across the try in front of him and couldn't decide where to start, everything looked delicious.

Fifteen minutes later, Neji finished off his glass of raspberry juice and reached for the newspaper his cousin's had so thoughtfully provided. He always liked reading the newspaper after he ate, he liked being informed; however, when he opened up the rolled up newspaper, the contentment he had been feeling since his uncle and cousin's left instantly vanished as he immediately recognized the red-head on the front page of the newspaper.

He felt a heart-wrenching pain as he saw the man he still loved kissing another male.

"Gaara," Neji whispered.

* * *

1) This goes without saying, but please don't try this at home. Also, I've decided that you don't need to know the exact amount of mixture you need in order to make an explosion of about a quarter of a mile (which is about the size of a football field I believe). However, it would be a very small amount, probably about half a regular bottle of water. Pretty surprising isn't it.

2) I used the American school system when Neji was talking about his schooling. A Master's degree usually takes about 6 years to complete, but because Neji took on so many courses all year long including during the summer, he cut two years off, and managed to get his Master's in Medicine within four years, which is usually the amount of time one would need to get a Bachelor's Degree.

If you have any questions about anything else, you can just ask me in a review or PM me, either's fine. ;)

Well, this chapter certainly was entertaining. I'm just glad I finally have Neji and Gaara in the same place. The next chapter should be more entertaining as Sasuke and Naruto have their 'professional meeting'. Itachi is finally re-introduced, I'm still not sure who'll he's going to talk to, but it should be good.

FINALLY, Neji back in Konoha, and he will meet Gaara for the first time in five years in the next chapter. What will happen? Will Sparks fly? What will Gaara do, what will Neji say? Well, I'll just let you guess. 'Til next time…

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)


	4. Bodyguards

A/N:

The first scene is set the next day, while the rest of the chapter is set about a week later.

While reading through the last chapter and this chapter as well, I've noticed that I've introduced a few minor characters not everyone might remember, so I'll make sure to give a small synopsis on each at the end of the chapter.

Also, I just wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, I love reading all your comments. Thanks so much. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

* * *

_**Bodyguards**_

_The Next Day_

So, he escaped," Orochimaru mused aloud. Kabuto merely nodded his head as he watched the man in front of him tap his fingers on the polished oak desk, "and he managed to destroy all the medicine we received from Hiashi, as well as most of my research facility," the golden-eyed male continued.

Kabuto nodded once again. He had no excuse—he had failed.

Noticing Kabuto's stiff movements, Orochimaru gestured to the unoccupied seat the young medic had ignored throughout his report. Kabuto took the offered seat, and sat down.

Orochimaru leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands as he began to think. A few minutes later he smiled an evil smile. He had thought of something truly despicable.

"Since you were not able to discover how to create the Hyuuga virus within the five years I allotted you, I will assume that more time would yield the same results, would they not Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked him in a syrupy voice that would make anyone cringe, but Kabuto was used to his master's ways.

Undisturbed by his master's voice, Kabuto nodded his head.

"We tried to obtain the Hyuuga virus using your methods, but it seems you weren't up to the challenge," Orochimaru continued, loving the way his medic's shoulders stiffened as he blatantly reputed his skills as a medic, "So now we will do things my way." Orochimaru told him as he leaned back on his chair.

"As you wish," Kabuto said submissively. "How will you like to proceed?" he asked the golden-eyed man.

Orochimaru smiled again, "I want you to kidnap the head doctor of the small clinic in the Hyuuga compound, and extract the components of the virus from him. Find out how to create it, as well as any other relevant information on the virus. You may use _any_ method of persuasion you deem necessary."

Having received his orders, Kabuto rose from his seat and bowed to his master. "I will not fail you again," he promised as he left his master's study. Once outside he pulled out his cell-phone.

He needed someone cunning enough to bypass the security at the Hyuuga compound, sly enough to locate the head doctor within the armed compound, and crafty enough to escape the compound with said doctor without being noticed.

"This is Kidomaru," the male on the other line answered already used to unexpected calls from potential employers.

"Kidomaru, I have a job for you," Kabuto told him.

"I'm listening."

* * *

_About a week later_

"I don't care how much you yell and beg," Tsunade told a livid blonde male who was currently standing in front of her desk. "I've made my decision," Tsunade sternly told him. "It's been eight months since I announced you as my Heir, and that in that time you have gone through fifteen bodyguards!"

"But it wasn't my fault they couldn't take a few simple pranks," Naruto whined.

Tsunade's eye twitched. "Hiring five bodyguards to kidnap your own bodyguard and hold him hostage for five days is not a prank Naruto!" she yelled at him, remembering that particular incident quite well.

"I told you I was testing him!" Naruto shot back. "What if someone did kidnap us and held us hostage! I need to know that I can count on him in such a situation!" the blonde defended himself.

Tsunade ran a hand down her face in an effort to calm down. Naruto always managed to get under her skin. "The point is you're my sole Heir Naruto, and as such, you need a personal bodyguard with you at all times." Tsunade told him. "I know you can take care of yourself, but it's only as a precaution. Every corporate leader and their respected Heir's have their own bodyguard's, and you're not an exception, so get used to it!"

Naruto could only fume in silence as he saw the serious expression of Tsunade's face as she told him she had found him a permanent bodyguard. He knew she wouldn't change her mind.

Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to argue anymore, Tsunade decided that this was a good a time as any to introduce his new bodyguard.

"Look brat. It took me months to find someone as well qualified as him, so you better not try anything funny. From now on he's going to be your personal guard, so you better get along with him."

Knowing Naruto would not say anything; Tsunade turned to her secretary, her own guard, and asked her to bring in Naruto's new bodyguard.

A minute later Shizune returned with a tall, dark haired stoic man trailing behind her.

"Naruto this is Yamato," Tsunade introduced him, but Naruto childishly refused to even look at him, which only managed to annoy the older woman.

"Brat! Show some respect!" she yelled at him as she clenched her right hand, ready to smack some sense into him. Knowing of Tsunade's legendary strength, Yamoto quickly intervened, he was supposed to protect his ward after all, even if he was acting like a snot-nosed kid.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to him in private for a little," Yamato asked her politely.

Irritated at Naruto's attitude, Tsunade decided to leave it in the new bodyguard's capable hands. She'd probably end up sending the blonde moron to the hospital if she stayed any longer. So, she stepped out of her office to give them some time, Shizune obediently following behind her.

Now that he was alone with Naruto, Yamoto walked up to the blonde and stood in front of him. "My name is Yamoto, and from now on, I will be in charge of your safety."

"I don't want nor need your protection!" Naruto growled as he glared up at the taller man, getting a good look at him for the first time.

Yamoto did not even bat an eyelash at the blonde's outburst, instead he continued with his introduction. "If I believe that you are in danger, you will do as I instruct you without question. Do you understand?"

Naruto's only response was the increase in the intensity of his glare.

An expressionless Yamato easily read the blonde's answer. It seemed he would have to intimidate his ward into obedience. "You will not like the consequences of disobeying my orders, so I suggest you do as I instruct," he told a now furious Naruto.

"I'm not scared of you!" Naruto yelled at him.

"Oh really?" Yamato asked him, as he directed his creepy "ghoul-eyes" expression at Naruto, an expression he had long ago developed for creeping out immature brats. Unsurprisingly, Naruto immediately yelped in fright as he jumped back from the frightening look.

Though the expression seemed more funny than frightening, it reminded the blonde of a ghost. He was absolutely terrified of ghosts.

"Okay, okay. You win," Naruto surrendered; anything to get rid of those creepy eyes.

"If you do not obey me, I will have no qualms in using other similar tactics against you," Yamoto warned him, which had Naruto gulping in fear.

Ten minutes later, a puzzled Tsunade watched as Naruto hurried to his next meeting without a single complaint about his new bodyguard.

"Hmm, that was weird Shizune," Tsunade murmured to her secretary. "And here I thought I would have to send him to the hospital before he would shut up with his complaints… I wonder what Yamoto did?" she asked an equally stunned Shizune, who only shrugged. She was just as surprised as her.

* * *

"I like seeing you happy," Itachi told his fiancée as he used two fingers to raise her chin up so that he his own onyx eyes clashed with pale lavender. Bending his head down a little, Itachi placed a chaste kiss on her lips. As expected, Hinata flushed at the contact. Even after two years of dating, Hinata was still shy around him, a trait Itachi found endearing.

Itachi had first met the infamous Hyuuga Heiress while helping his younger brother with a Haunted House project one Halloween. After speaking with her, he had immediately understood why so many people in the high circles believed she would lead the _**Hyuuga Cooperation**_ to ruins. To put it kindly, she was not fitted to lead such a prestigious company. She was shy, quiet, easily intimidated, and to make matters worse, her ideals had no place in business. Itachi had immediately regarded her as a failure, and almost felt sorry for Hiashi.

"Would you like to order some dessert?" Itachi asked her.

"No thank you." Hinata replied as she looked at her watch. "I have to get going already. I told father that I would meet him after lunch and if I don't leave soon, I will be late."

"I understand," Itachi told her as he raised his hand to ask for the check.

Though he had labeled her as a failure, he couldn't deny that she had been the first female to perk his interest. All his life, he had been regarded as a prodigy, and thus, treated accordingly. No one ever questioned him, not even his parents. He was perfect. Yet, it had been this nervous and shy teenage girl that had the strength to stand up to him and the gall to lecture him on his method of carrying out his business deals. To say he had been more than a little surprised to have a mouse of a girl reprimand him on his business skills would be an understatement; he had been astounded.

As a courtesy, one heir to another, he had tried to teach her a lesson about the business world but he had wound up doubting his own business methods. He still remembered her words after he had tried to pressure her into taking charge of the Haunted House project. She had not reacted well to his prompting.

**Flashback**

"_A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be" he said; staring intensely at the young girl as if her pale eyes contained secrets he had long been denied._

"_Rosalynn Carter," Hinata whispered, remembering the quote from her studies._

"_Hinata, you are expected to lead a great many people in your lifetime," he began. "Not everyone will like your decisions. Some may even protest them vehemently. You can't please everyone. It's impossible," he said with a hint of emotion, as if he spoke from experience._

_Those in high circles often spoke of her as a shy and sweet girl, more fitted as a wife than leader of an international corporation, and seeing her shyly talking to him about leases and permits, he knew she did not have the necessary traits to hold such a high position._

_As the week bore on, he watched her closely, and soon realized her main fault—she was too sympathetic to those around her. A great and humble trait in anyone else, but it bide disaster for someone in her position. Thus, wanting to help the lost girl, he had set out to teach her a few fundamental lessons of life, and the world._

"_Your decision?" he asked her once again, referring to his earlier question._

_He looked on as she regained herself, and for once in his life, he was surprised by the answer he received._

"_A strong quote for a strong leader," she said. Rebellion coating her words._

"_Tell me," she continued, as her gentle eyes darkened with anger, "are you aware of the power you wield? How it can change a person's life? Or do you enjoy having total control of countless lives, knowing that at your whim, their lives can be changed for the better or worse?" She asked angrily, while staring into unyielding dark eyes for any sign that he had heard her, or understood._

_She found none._

"He's just like Father?"_ she thought sadly._

_This time instead of rebellion, her words were coated with pity._

"_Or is it that you are aware of the power you hold, and like a Shepard guiding his sheep, you have decided to take the part of the omniscient ruler; leading those in your care with a blindfold."_

_Just as before, ebony clashed with white._

_She didn't understand why her father, and now Itachi, didn't realize that leadership was more than leading people where they 'ought to be', but making them understand where they 'ought to go'. People didn't like being lead like stray sheep; they needed to know where they were being lead too. Without that knowledge, they would naturally resent those who lead them with blindfolds._

"Why am I the only one that sees this?"_ she asked herself for the millionth time._

_She felt sorrow for her father, and now Itachi, who silently suffered due to their high position._

"_Don't you see that you're being blinded by your own good intentions?" she asked him a little desperately._

"_You're just like my father, you know. You both believe that you're doing what's best for those left in your charge. So, you make plans for them accordingly, never once consulting them or giving them a reason for your actions. People aren't animals to be lead blindly. In all your wisdom, you fail to understand that a real leader has no need to lead—he is content to point the way", she finished._

"_Henry Miller," he said, looking at her with the same expressionless face._

"_A nice quote for an optimist, but people like you and I, do not have the luxury of such thoughts—blindly hoping people will follow where we point. Optimists have no room in business, your father should have taught you that a long time ago Hyuuga," he told her harshly._

_Hinata's eyes widened with hurt at his words. He didn't understand._

"_It is said that a great leader is one who listens to the voice of the people, but how do you hope to do this when you can't even listen to me?" she asked him calmly._

_Itachi narrowed his eyes._

"_You are more than you appear, Hyuuga."_

_Hinata inclined her head in acknowledgement._

"_But your words are for dreamers," he continued on._

"_I am aware of that, but I will not change my views," she told him._

_This time it was Itachi's turn to incline his head, silently acknowledging her words._

"_We shall see if they prove to be right," he told before walking away, leaving a slightly dazed heiress behind._

**End Flashback**

He had been proven wrong.

As the years came and went, Hinata had become a strong woman who fought to keep her ideals. She was resolute, strong-willed and clever enough to keep her morals in a world were sympathy and honesty was seen as a weakness to be exploited.

He had seen her grow up into an admirable woman, a woman he could proudly call his own, and she had done it against all the odds. For that he admired her.

He couldn't help but laugh at the fools who still believed her to be weak. How could they believe that the only reason he had proposed to her was because of her title as the Heiress of the _**Hyuuga Cooperation**_? It was ridiculous!

He could care less for her title, or her company. He cared about her, Hinata. The way she looked at him with nothing but love shining off her hauntingly beautiful pale lavender eyes. The way she could make everything all better with her mere presence. The way she saw him for himself: Itachi, and not as the infamous prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. He was simply Itachi, the man she loved; a title he was proud to hold.

After their engagement had been announced, everyone had been surprised that they had not announced a merger between their two companies. It was a common practice after all. Especially since she was considered a weak leader; no one had any doubts that Itachi would soon have control of both companies—no one expected much from the Hyuuga Heiress. However, he and Hinata had no intention of making such an announcement. There would be no merger between their two companies. They were both perfectly capable of directing their respective companies. Except for Hiashi, Hinata, and himself, it would come as a shock to everyone when the announcement that they would not merge their companies was posted in the tabloids.

"Why are you smiling?" Hinata asked him, noticing the small smile on his lips, and effectively pulling him from his musings.

"I was just thinking about the future," he told her as he paid for their meal and exited the restaurant with her as both of their bodyguards walked a respective distance behind them.

As he walked her to her car, Itachi remembered about their date. "Should I pick you up at 7 on Saturday?" he asked her, and received a nod of conformation from her. "I heard that the artist they're showcasing is very talented," he continued. "He's a glass artist from Konoha. I think his name is Sabutzku…Sabaztku…"

"Sabaku Gaara," Hinata put in as her eyes lost some of their usual luster.

Noticing the gloom that befell his fiancée at the mention of the artist's name, Itachi frowned and stopped her with a gentle hand. "What's wrong?" he asked as he raised her chin with his hand.

"It's just . . .Neji," she told him.

"Your cousin that recently returned from America?"

Hinata nodded.

"What about him?" Itachi asked her, clearly confused by her explanation, or lack of it. Itachi waited for her response and when it was apparent he wasn't going to get any he let the subject drop and let go of her chin.

"Sympathy will only hinder you," he told her a little coldly as he continued to walk to her car.

Hinata followed his lead and walked beside him. "I'm aware of that, but I will not change my views," she told him with a hint of a smile.

At her words, Itachi abruptly stopped his forward motion and pulled a smiling Hinata to him. "We shall see if they prove to be right," he whispered in her ear in a husky voice, which greatly flustered his fiancée, a fact he was extremely pleased with. Taking his time, he lowered his face and captured her lips in a sizzling kiss.

After thoroughly kissing her, he let her go and finished walking her to her car. After he bid her good-bye he turned to her bodyguard.

"Take care of her," he told her in a serious tone he reserved for board meetings and other important matters.

Kurenai bent her head in acknowledgement. She would kill anyone who tried to harm her ward.

Watching his fiancée leave, Itachi turned around and walked to his own car.

"That's the third time this week you've reminded Kurenai of her job," his own bodyguard said. "I assume it has to do with the information you received from Sai regarding Orochimaru's recent movements," the other male finished as she opened the car for him.

Itachi slipped inside and looked out the window as his thoughts turned over the information Sai, a close friend, had faxed to him earlier that week, while on his recent trip to Italy. "After five years, why would Orochimaru return to Konoha? Is it merely because my brother has returned or is there something else?" Itachi murmured to himself. "Sasuke believes that I am unaware of his presence in Konoha, and for the moment I'll let him believe that. What I'm more concerned with is the business deal he is offering _**Advocate**_. By all rights, he should have consulted me if he wanted to make a deal with _**Advocate**_, so why is he conducting this deal behind my back? However, what I'm even more concerned with is the recent sighting of one of Orochimaru's henchman staking out the Hyuuga household. . . What is Orochimaru up to?"

There were too many questions without answers, and he had a feeling if he wanted to keep those he cared about safe, he would have to find the answers to his questions very soon.

"Sai was supposed to arrive from his trip to Italy earlier today," Itachi thought aloud. "I need to speak with him."

At his words, Kisame nodded and turned on the car, while Itachi called Sai's personal line.

* * *

"Have you decided on your answer?" Genma asked a sweating Neji as he aimed a kick to his left kneecap. Neji quickly side-stepped barely avoiding the well placed kick and threw a few punches toward his opponent which were easily blocked by the well trained bodyguard.

"Hinata already has a bodyguard to call her own; she does not need me as well, even though I was originally supposed to be her guard." Neji answered as he parried a couple of attacks Genma unleashed on him.

"Kurenai is a very skilled bodyguard, and she loves that girl to death. She would die for her without a second thought," Genma told him as he rushed the young Hyuuga and managed to pin him to the wall.

Neji had been surprised by Genma's unexpected attack and did not react in time.

Genma held him for a few moments before he let Neji go and ended their training session for the day.

Neji bowed respectfully to his sensei, before answering. "I cannot even compare to that. I, who abandoned my family without a second thought, I could never be worthy enough to become Hinata's bodyguard."

"From the beginning of your training, at the age of seven, it had been your destiny to become Hinata's personal guard. I do believe that carries some weight," Genma told him offhandedly. "If you asked Hiashi, I'm sure he would re-establish your position as her protector."

At his words, Neji turned to look at Genma, "A wise man once told me," he began, remembering a memory from long ago, "'when a bird trapped in a cage grows wiser, they will try to open the cage with their beaks. They don't give up because they want to fly again'."

"Che. Seems like Bullshit to me," Genma said before taking a drink of his water bottle. Though he seemed relaxed, he was actually a little surprised that Neji had remembered his words. However, he did not approve how he went about escaping his 'cage'. Running off with some stranger and abandoning his family had not been one of Neji's more wiser choices, but he could see that he was trying very hard to correct past mistakes.

"I want to fly again. I want to feel true happiness," Neji said aloud more to himself than to him. "But if I become Hinata's bodyguard, I will always feel as if I had too; as if I had no choice. That is why I will officially resign my candidacy as Hinata's bodyguard, and will instead accept Hiashi's offer and work as part of the Hyuuga's medical research team. It's the least I can do."

"A wise choice," Genma murmured as he grabbed his belongings and exited the training room leaving the young Hyuuga to his thoughts.

After Genma left the room, Neji lingered behind and sat down on the training mat. As he took drink from his own water bottle, he let his thoughts wander. Unsurprisingly, they ended up circling around the same person.

Gaara.

He had no idea what to do about him. He had just told his sensei that he wanted true happiness, but if he ever wanted to achieve such a goal, he needed Gaara. He loved him. Even after all these years, he still loved him. Time had done nothing to diminish his feelings for the other. But like Hinata, he had no right to even talk to Gaara, especially after what Hinata had told him.

Had he known the exact circumstances in which he broke up with Gaara, he never would have left him, no matter what state he was in, he would never have abandoned Gaara in such a situation.

Neji's grip on the water bottle tightened as he remembered Kabuto's sly smile as he broke up with Gaara. He was certain Kabuto had played a large part in the entire incident. He couldn't believe he was so caught up in his own emotional break-down that he had failed to notice Gaara's own breakdown when he talked to him for the last time. Once Hinata told him what had actually happened all the pieces had fallen into place. If he ever saw Kabuto again, he would be sure to extract revenge.

However, that was neither here nor there. At the moment he was more concerned with getting Gaara back, than extracting revenge. But how could he face Gaara knowing what he knew, how would Gaara react? Would he hate him? Loathe him? Would he even care? And that was the one fear Neji had. Would Gaara remember him? To have meant so little to him that he did not even remember him was Neji's worst fear, because it proved that he could never attain Gaara's love. It proved that Gaara had moved on.

At that thought, the image of Naruto kissing Gaara instantly came to mind, which sent a flood of jealousy coursing through Neji's system. He could not believe that Gaara was with Naruto. It was just wrong. However, at the moment, his thoughts were nothing more than speculation. He needed to talk to Gaara, and find out directly from him.

Among other information, the newspaper he had read had stated the name of the museum that was supposed to showcase Gaara's art this coming Saturday, for which he had immediately gotten tickets for. However, he couldn't wait 'til Saturday. Five years had been long enough; he needed to see Gaara now.

Resolute. Neji picked himself off the mat, and went to take a shower. He would go to the museum and hopefully find out where Gaara could be located.

Plan made, Neji headed for his room.

* * *

Sumaru was surprised to see that the temperature of the room was indeed 77 degrees Celsius, he had been sure the temperature had dropped at least by ten degrees what with the frigid way Naruto and Sasuke were treating each other. Naruto had kept his promise, and had been nothing but a professional since the meeting commenced about a half an hour ago. However, he doubted the blonde had ever been this cold to any of his clients. Not that Sasuke did anything to relieve the obvious tension in the blonde's office. The Uchiha was just as frigid as the blonde.

Sumaru simply sighed at their behavior, and continued to take notes. Across from him, and sitting next to Sasuke, Karin closely watched the blonde and took note of every action Sasuke made. She had no doubt the blonde had known Sasuke before he joined Orochimaru, but what type of association they had had in the past, she could not fathom. Though she had a feeling that there was more here than either male choose to reveal, and she was determined to discover what exactly their past association included.

"In other words, you want to merge our two companies," Naruto said in a polite, yet cold tone after Sasuke finished explaining his proposal.

"As I explained, it would not be a true merger. You will still have complete control of your company, as will I. What I'm proposing is that each of our respective companies will have the right to use the resources of the other at their will. Nothing more, nothing less. Think about it, _**Advocate**_ will have access to all the resources _**Uchiha Enterprises **_has to offer, and in exchange, _**Uchiha Enterprises **_will have access to all of _**Advocate**_'s resources," Sasuke explained in a chilly tone as he stared at Naruto's blank face.

Throughout the entire meeting, Sasuke had been trying to gauge Naruto's thoughts on his proposal but the blonde gave nothing away. Even his attitude and gestures were neutral, a fact, that frustrated the Uchiha to no end.

Thus, the meeting continued on in the same manner. Sumaru couldn't wait for it to be over.

Standing just outside Naruto's office two bodyguards stood on each side of the large double doors that were currently closed from prying eyes.

Neither trusted the other. After all, their wards were of different companies, who as of yet, were not on friendly terms.

Thus, when Sai walked into the reception area of Naruto's office, he could literally see the distrust rolling off the two bodyguards in waves.

Sai had just returned from his trip to Italy and had been hoping to talk to Naruto about some interesting news he had come across, but it seemed the blonde was currently in a meeting since Sumaru was nowhere in sight, and two bodyguards stood outside the office doors.

Having a bodyguard of his own, much to his annoyance, Sai was familiar of the common practice of either, 1) leaving both guards just outside the allotted meeting place, or 2) allowing both guards to attend the meeting along with their respective wards, and it seemed that Naruto and his current client had chosen the former rather than the later option.

Dismissing, the obvious tension in the room, Sai walked further into the reception area, and was pleasantly surprised to recognize a former acquaintance of his, though they had met only once before.

"_So, he's a bodyguard . . . interesting, very interesting," _he thought to himself before he turned his attention to the other guard.

"It seems Tsunade has finally found Naruto another bodyguard," Sai said aloud, deducing that the other guard was Naruto's newest "victim".

Yamato merely inclined his head, effectively informing him that he was indeed Naruto's new guard.

Sai smiled his fake smile, and introduced himself as Naruto's friend, and warned him of the blonde's fondness for pranks before he introduced his own guard. "This is Izumo Kamizuki," he said while gesturing behind him where Izumo stood.

"Yamato," was all Yamato said as he gave Sai's bodyguard a quick glance. Once he assessed he could take him out if the situation arose, Yamato ignored the new arrivals.

Sai then turned his attention to the other guard, and introduced himself just like he had before; however, Kimimaro ignored his presence, not even sparing him a glance.

Sai frowned as he looked up at the expressionless face of the man in front of him. Not to be dismissed so easily, Sai decided that a little prompting on his part was in order.

Keeping his eyes trained on Kimimaro's face, Sai slowly moved closer to the other man, until he was effectively invading his personal space. Keeping his eyes trained on Kimimaro's rigid form, Sai purposely leaned in close until his hot breath was tickling the guard's ear.

"Kimimaro was it not?" he whispered into the other's ear, as his lips practically touched his skin, but not quite.

To Sai's immense satisfaction, he saw the slightest rise of goosebumps break out across the white-haired male's neck. Wanting to fluster the male even more, Sai deliberately cupped Kimimaro's soft cheek with his hand.

He barely managed to touch the porcelain white skin before his hand was immediately caught in a vice-like grip, making him wince at the forceful hold, and in less than a second, the un-mistakable sound of the safety of a gun being removed was clearly heard in the silent room.

Izumo was aiming his gun straight at Kimimaro's head.

From the sidelines, Yamato had two weapons trained on both bodyguards. He would take them out if they posed a threat to his charge.

* * *

Neji walked into Konoha's most prestigious museum and was in awe at the various artworks the museum boasted among its collection.

"Beautiful isn't it," someone said from behind him.

Neji turned his head to face the stranger and was surprised to see his old teacher. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled. "I'm not your sensei anymore," the older man reminded him. "I thought you were still in America."

"I just returned," he told him, feeling a little uncomfortable lying to his former sensei.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his words, "If you just returned then what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked him, a little bit curious.

"I came to see if I could find an old friend," Neji answered him. "Do you know anyone who works here?" Neji asked him, hoping to ask an employee if they had seen Gaara at the museum or if they knew when he could expect to find Gaara here.

"How may I help you?" Kakashi bowed, amused at the Hyuuga's puzzled expression.

"You work here?" a baffled Neji asked him.

"I'm the museum's curator and I'm currently also managing a particular artist whose caught my eye," the grey-haired man replied. "You might remember him," Kakashi told him. "He used to be an old schoolmate of yours."

Now that Neji had found out that Kakashi worked there, he was more than a little anxious to ask him about Gaara. He could care less about the artist that had caught the older man's interest. But, in order to get the information he wanted, Neji knew he had to play along.

"Oh, who might that be?" he asked him, trying to sound interested.

"Gaara. Sabaku Gaara. The short red-head that used to sit beside you in art my class," Kakashi explained. "He's got more talent than most artists I've ever seen."

Hearing the name of the very person he was looking for, instantly grabbed Neji's attention, and he had to use all his self-control not to demand to know where Gaara could be found. "What a coincidence. He's actually the reason I came here today. I saw a picture of him and his partner on the front page of the Konoha Tribune and I—"

Kakashi laughed. "I wouldn't mention that anywhere near him," Kakashi told him as he tried to stifle his laughter.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked him a little too eagerly, a fact Kakashi failed to notice since he was still trying to control his amusement.

"Gaara wasn't too happy with Naruto when Naruto, god knows why, decided to play with fire and kissed him, in front of a dozen cameras no less. Let's just say, Gaara was more than a little angry. Even though he forgave Naruto, he still gets angry anytime anyone mentions the incident," Kakashi explained.

A flood of relief coursed through Neji's entire body as a feeling of elation whipped through him. Gaara didn't feel anything for Naruto. They weren't together.

Unable to hold back his question any longer, Neji asked Kakashi if he knew where he could find Gaara.

"I think he's still in my office," the grey-haired male answered. "He came to drop off some last minute pieces for his grand debut this Saturday," he informed him. Knowing what Neji would ask him next, Kakashi told him where to find his office, and before he knew it, he was left alone.

* * *

The room was dead quiet as three trained killers stood stock still, patiently waiting for someone to make a move.

Knowing that Yamato would leave them to their own devices as long as they did not endanger his own ward, Izumo and Kimimaro completely ignored him and instead focused on each other. However, both were aware that Naruto could come barging in at any moment, and if such a situation arose, they were sure Yamato would have no qualms in eliminating them; thus, they had to end this quick.

Nonetheless, both guards did nothing, or to put it plainly, they couldn't do anything. If Kimimaro made a move to harm Izumo's ward, Izumo would have a bullet between his eyes in less than two seconds. On the other hand, in the time it took Izumo to press the trigger, Sai would be dead; after all, Kimimaro was a trained killer.

They were at a stalemate.

Looking up at Kimimaro's eyes, which were intently trained on Izumo, Sai understood the situation he found himself in; he also knew that if he didn't do something to end this quickly, someone would end up hurt, or even worse—dead. So, using his free hand, Sai slowly reached for the hand currently holding his own in an iron grip.

At his action, all eyes immediately swiveled to him. Still keeping an eye on Izumo from his peripheral vision, Kimimaro watched as Sai's hand slowly crept up his arm and gently tugged on it, gently asking him to let go.

Kimimaro looked at Sai, and was immediately captured in the other's cheerful eyes as their owner smiled up at him. Very slowly, as not to raise suspicion, Kimimaro released his captive's hand, leaving behind an imprint of his fingers on Sai's smooth flesh.

Freed from the iron grip, Sai turned around to face his bodyguard, but made no move to leave Kimimaro's side. "Izumo, stand down," he ordered him in a loud crisp voice that left no room for argument.

Reluctantly, Izumo put his weapon away, but he still kept his eyes trained on Kimimaro, ready to protect his ward if the other guard so much as looked at Sai the wrong way. Having put his own weapons away, Yamato stood once again at attention on the other side of the double doors as if nothing had happened.

Satisfied that he had ended the dangerous confrontation, Sai turned his attention back to Kimimaro much to Izumo's displeasure.

Looking straight into Kimimaro's sky blue eyes, Sai cocked his head a little before he spoke in a low voice so that only Kimimaro was able to hear him. "I can still see it in your eyes… the loneliness," he clarified. "You may try to hide it, but I can see it as clearly as I did back then. My offer still stands, you know. Let me take that loneliness away from you," he whispered, before he turned around and gestured to Izumo as he left the reception area. He barely made his exit before his phone went off. It was Itachi.

Back inside the reception area, Yamato noticed the tension in Kimimaro's shoulders, but did not have time to dwell on it for long because not two seconds later, the door to Naruto's office flew open as an angry looking blonde stepped out of his office with a worried looking Sumaru right behind him.

A few seconds later, a nonchalant Uchiha walked into the reception area with his secretary by his side.

The tension coming off the blonde and the raven was so palpable that if you opened your mouth you'd be able to taste it.

"I'll have to look over the contract before I make my final decision," Naruto coldly told Sasuke as he faced the Uchiha, though it looked more like a confrontation rather than a simple discussion. "Sumaru will contact your secretary when I'm ready to give you my final answer," the blonde said before he turned on his heel and left the Uchiha without so much as a good-bye. Yamato was at his side within moments.

Sumaru just shook his head at his boss's behavior, but he couldn't really reprimand him. Naruto had been nothing but polite throughout the entire meeting; albeit a cold politeness, but polite nonetheless.

Sasuke said nothing at Naruto's rude departure, and left the reception area without a word; Karin and Kimimaro trailing behind him.

* * *

"That's the last piece," Gaara murmured to himself as he gently placed a delicate looking glass figure on a table that already held three other glass sculptures.

And so, that's how Neji found him as he noiselessly opened the door to Kakashi's office and stepped inside, silently closing the door behind him.

For a moment, he said nothing as he simply gazed at the red-head in front of him, whose back was currently turned to him.

Neji couldn't help but admire the way Gaara had grown up. As a teen Gaara had been cute in an innocent sort of way that could tempt anyone, but now that Gaara had grown up, he was nothing less than gorgeous. His hair was a little longer than he remembered and he was taller too, though Neji was pleased to note that he was still taller than he red-head.

However, he was quickly brought out of his musings as Gaara turned around to leave.

The red-head stood stock still as his eyes widened in unsuppressed shock at finding Neji standing in front of him after all these years. He had thought he would never see the other male in his life. So, it came as quite a shock to him to find Neji standing between him and the door.

"Gaara," Neji slowly whispered, letting the name roll off his tongue as he took a step toward him.

Images, from nightmares he had not had for more than a year, instantly bombarded Gaara's still fragile mind in hearing the familiar voice he had thought he would never hear again.

"Gaara, I—" Neji began but immediately cut himself off. He had no idea what to say to the still paralyzed red-head.

Memories of his imprisonment within the metal cell rushed to his mind: the cold iron bars that had held him prisoner in that cage, the harsh words of his father, the darkness that engulfed his very soul until he had no recollection of the light. He felt himself falling back into the dark depths of his mind, and it took all his hard-earned control to keep the memories from overwhelming him, and plunging his mind back into dark waters.

"What are you doing here?" Gaara harshly told him, stepping away from the taller male as he tried to keep his mind in one piece, but failing.

"I came to see you," Neji put in, weary of the answer he would get.

"Leave! I don't want to see you ever again," Gaara yelled; anger mixed with fear reflecting off his teal eyes as he started shaking from the emotional stress he was experiencing as his memories bombarded his still fragile mind.

"Gaara, please let me explain," Neji tried to interject as he watched Gaara squeeze his eyes shut as he clutched his head in clear pain, a gesture that instantly had the Hyuuga rushing to his side. "Gaara are you okay?!" Neji worriedly asked him before he grabbed one of Gaara's hands in an effort to get the red-head's attention.

"Let go of me," Gaara immediately snarled as he threw the Hyuuga off of him and harshly slammed him against the wall which elicited a grunt of pain from him; however, it was not merely enough to take him down.

"Gaara, listen to me. I don't care what you do to me, but please let me explain—"

"Shut up!" Gaara yelled, barely managing to hold himself together. "Leave me alone!"

"No. I won't ever leave you again," Neji told him in a cold tone as he looked at him with a deadly serious expression.

Gaara's teal eyes turned a cold emerald as rage overwhelmed his system. "Never leave me again," he growled out loud, repeating Neji's words as he advanced on him with deadly intent.

Neji stood his ground and kept his eyes trained on Gaara's own as the red-head drew closer to him. Inches away from him, Gaara repeated the same phrase. "Never leave me again," he growled once again, looking into Neji's unblinking pale lavender eyes as the older male stared down at him with those hauntingly familiar eyes.

In a move too fast for the eye to catch, Gaara slammed Neji into the wall and held him there by the neck using one arm.

"What makes you think I even want you," Gaara coldly whispered as his frigid eyes bore into Neji's own as he slowly raised the brunette's body higher off the ground using one arm.

Years of training served Neji well, and he managed to stay calm as Gaara literally squeezed the life out of him. He never would have guessed Gaara was this strong. If Gaara kept him in place for another minute or two, Neji was sure he would black out from the lack of oxygen.

"Listen to me Hyuuga. If you ever approach me again, I will kill you," Gaara harshly told him and held him up for another few moments, just for emphasis, before releasing his hold on his neck and letting him fall to the floor. Not waiting to hear the Hyuuga's response, Gaara turned around and left the office, slamming the door behind him as he did so.

Coughing on the floor where Gaara left him, Neji gently rubbed his neck, knowing he would have bruises there. By the time he got his coughing under control, Gaara was long gone.

However, Neji had gotten the answer he had wanted: Gaara did indeed feel something for him, even if it was hatred.

Next time, and there would definitely be a next time, he met the red-head, he would hold nothing back. Even if he had to tie Gaara down, he would make him listen to him. He needed to explain things to him, no matter what.

Picking himself off the floor, Neji rubbed his bruised neck before leaving Kakashi's office, stumbling a few times on the way out.

* * *

"Hello," a grey-haired medic said as he answered his cell phone.

"Kabuto, I have the item you requested," Kidomaru informed him, in an arrogant tone.

"Perfect. Bring him to location C," Kabuto told him, very pleased with the quick results.

"I'll be there in an hour. Make sure you have my money," Kidomaru reminded him.

"You'll have your payment in full don't worry," Kabuto assured him before he hung up on him and grabbed his keys and the suitcase full of money inside his closet. Before leaving the hotel room he was currently occupying, Kabuto grabbed a change of clothes. After all he didn't want to return to the hotel with his clothes full of blood. Location C, otherwise known as the "Torture Chamber", was a special facility that Orochimaru had specifically designed for interrogations.

To this date, no one had ever left that place alive.

* * *

As promised here's a little synopsis on the minor characters I've introduced. I will also try to organize people together.

**Sumaru** (Naruto's secretary): a shinobi from the Hidden Star Village. Like Naruto, he grew up parentless and is determined to become a Kage. He is a very talented Shinobi, and is especially loyal to the village leader, Akahoshi. However, Akahoshi exploits his loyalty and uses it against his mother, who is still alive, in order to get back the star, a meteorite with mysterious power. Akahoshi kidnaps Sumaru and threatens to kill him if his mother, Natsuhi, does not give him the star. Sumaru later realizes the betrayal of Akahoshi, thanks to Naruto and his mother, but it is too late, since his mother is killed by Akahoshi and he has to say good-bye to her for the last time.

**Genma Shiranui** (Hiashi's personal bodyguard): he replaces Hayate Gekko as the examiner for the main matches after Hayate is killed by Ibiki. He is often depicted with a senbon in his mouth which he uses as weapon by spitting it at the enemy to attack them, or to deflect ranged weapon attacks. After Neji loses the battle to Naruto, Genma is the one that tells him, "When a bird trapped in a cage grows wiser, they will try to open the cage with their beaks. They don't give up because they want to fly again," advice that Neji takes to heart. Later on, together with Raido Namiashi, he confronts the Sound Four, who are forced to use level 2 of their cursed seals to defeat them.

**Izumo Kamizuki** (Sai's personal bodyguard): he and his comrade, Kotetsu Hagane, try to discourage Genin from participating in the Chunin Exams, and later serve as proctors for the first exam. Izumo, along with the Kotetsu, also act as Tsunade's personal assistant and guard the entrance/exit of Konoha. In Naruto II, Izumo is a member of the Ninju Shotai and is later teamed with Asuma and Shikamaru.

**Yamato** (Naruto's personal bodyguard): a former test subject of Orochimaru, Yamato is able to replicate the First Hokage's ability to use Mokuton (a fusion of earth and water-based chakra) techniques. Due to his Mankuton abilities, Yamato is able to suppress tailed beast, which is the main reason Tsunade assigns him to Team 7 leader. He leads Team 7 in Kakashi's place and suppresses the Kyuubi whenever the need arrives. Yamato leads Team 7, which includes Sai, in their effort to bring Sasuke back, which ultimately ends in failure. He along with Naruto, helps Kakashi, Ino, and Choji when they face Kazuzu. Currently, he has joined Team 7 and Team 8 in order to search for the two Uchiha brothers.

_A little organization chart. ;)_

PB: Personal Bodyguard

_**Hyuuga Coorperation:**_ CEO: Hyuuga Hiashi (PB: Genma), Heiress: Hyuuga Hinata (PB: Kurenai)

_**Uchiha Enterprises:**_ CEO: Uchiha Itachi (PB: Kisame), Chief Chairman of the European Branch: Uchiha Sasuke (PB: Kimimaro, Jugo, Suigetsu—Sasuke has no specific PB, instead, these three play the role of his PB, currently, Kimimaro holds that position)

_**Advocate:**_ CEO: Tsunade (PB: Shizune), Heir: Naruto (PB: Yamato)

Other important businessmen, whose companies, as of yet, have not been named.

CEO: Orochimaru (PB: Kabuto)

CEO: Sai (PB: Izumo)

Okay! Now that that's over with, let's get on to business. The next chapter will be mostly Neji and Gaara. Gaara's grand debut as a glass artist goes off without a hitch. But things soon go down hill from there. Deidara and Tobi are introduced and much to Gaara's annoyance, Deidara is enamored with both him and his art. Thus, having no connection with anyone, Deidara becomes the wild card in this story. Who knows what he'll do, or who he'll side with, if he side's with anyone. Anyways, except for Deidara, everything goes well for Gaara until Neji shows up. I don't want to spoil it for you right here, but let's just say, Gaara does not take Neji's presence well, which is obvious when Neji is forced to defend himself against the strong red-head as they come to blows. Who will win? But will it matter when Gaara is about to loose himself once again to the nightmares of his past, and is teetering on the edge of another major breakdown? Will Neji be able to save him this time? Or will Gaara fall too far into his mind for Neji to save?

The small NejiXGaara in this chapter is merely a small appetizer for what comes next.

Hope you like the next chapter.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)


	5. HeartBreak

A/N:

The first scene is set on Saturday morning, a few hours before Gaara's big debut. Oh, and Orochimaru's devious plan is revealed. One quick reminder: Itachi and Hinata will soon announce that they will _**NOT**_ merge their companies together. This announcement will most likely occur in the next chapter, or the one after that. Also, I would like to mention that I don't know much about business, except for what I've seen on TV, when I actually watched TV. So, if something doesn't seem right in my explanation of Orochimaru's plan (or any other business related things I've mentioned or will mention), then that's probably why. I tried to make it seem logical, but if you do spot any mistakes or need further explanation in anything else I mention, then feel free to correct me or ask me.

I had this chapter completed last week (I swear!), but my internet wasn't working for some reason, so I couldn't upload the chapter. Sorry for the long wait. But as you can obviously tell, my internet is working again Hurray!! Now I can watch my anime. I can't believe I missed episode 19 in Shippudden. 18 ended with Deidara sitting on Gaara's dead body!!!! How could he do that… but I still love him. He's lucky he's such an irresistible yaoi-slave, along with Neji and Gaara. God, if I could just have them for _**FIVE**_ minutes!!! . . . tries to wipe off evil grin…too bad it isn't really working Okay, no more going off on a tangent, back to my note… Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love hearing what you have to say. I didn't really expect so many reviews for this story since most people like the instant smex scenes, which is not something you'll find in this fic, though there will be a lot of those later on in the story, but at the moment, I'm going with plot and character development. Then you'll get your smex scenes. Oh, and aside from the obvious NejiXGaara and SasuXNaru, I will also write a few smex scenes involving other couples that I've introduced. Hope you like it.

Wow, I'm just running my mouth off aren't I? Okay, its official, I'm too hyped up on sugar. I'll be taking my leave now that I've thoroughly embarrassed myself. Enjoy the chapter. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…but I'd be happy with just owning Gaara and Neji as my personal yaoi slaves…think that will every happen? ;)

* * *

_**Heart-Break **_

Orochimaru was a bit chagrined. After having the head doctor of the Hyuuga clinic kidnapped and thoroughly interrogated, he was no closer to the Hyuuga virus than before. The foolish man had kept his secrets, even after being subject to his personal interrogation, which involved more torture than it did words. In the end, the doctor died of blood loss, and Kabuto disposed of the body.

Currently, the golden-eyed male sat in his office, annoyed that things didn't turn out his way.

"Maybe you should concentrate on Plan A, instead of focusing all your attention on Plan B, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto put in seeing his master in a bad mood. "After all if everything goes according to plan, you won't need to resort to Plan B."

Golden eyes flicked to the grey-haired medic, "It's taken me years to place all my pawns in their proper positions, and now that I'm so close to accomplishing my goal, I refuse to leave anything to chance," Orochimaru told him, a little annoyed at his medic for not understanding such a thing.

"From the beginning, it was my goal to take over both _**Uchiha Enterprises **_and the_** Hyuuga Cooperation**_. I chose Sasuke as my pawn to acquire _**Uchiha Enterprises**_; though Itachi would have been my ideal choice, but he proved to be . . . uncontrollable." Orochimaru frowned, remembering how Itachi had flat out refused to make any deals with him.

"But Sasuke was easy prey. The poor boy doesn't understand that he will never surpass his brother. Itachi is simply too good. So the only option left to me, and him, is to kill him. After Itachi's death, all his assets will be promptly transferred to the only surviving Uchiha—Sasuke. At that point, I will have to dispose of him too. It's too bad really, he was such a good pawn," Orochimaru said with a tinge of feigned sadness clouding his features.

"All I had to do was give Sasuke the opportunity to step out of his brother's shadow and he was mine. Although, he was suspicious at first, I eventually got him to sign a legal contract which will transfer all of _his _assets to me if something unfortunate should happen to him. Of course, he doesn't know _that_ yet, since I cleverly presented it in such a manner that hid its true purpose. I'm confident he didn't notice its presence in the contract since he still signed it. However, I have to keep him safe until he becomes the CEO of _**Uchiha Enterprises**_, then, and only then, will I have him killed. I'll make it look like suicide, and tell the police that he'd been unstable ever since his brother's death. No one will question it."

Orochimaru smiled a feral smile. He had the Uchiha brother's right where he wanted them, and pretty soon he would have their company, a very powerful and influential company, as well. Using Sasuke had been a good move on his part. The Uchiha's role was ridiculously easy. All he had to do was prove himself competent enough to take over the company when he (Orochimaru) killed Itachi. He didn't want anyone to have any reason to oppose his rise to CEO, and once Sasuke took the title of CEO of _**Uchiha Enterprises**_, he would simply kill him and take over the company himself. No one would be able to oppose him due to the iron-clad contract Sasuke had signed.

Orochimaru's face broke out into a smile as his fingers twitched in anticipation. He couldn't wait.

"The role of my other pawn was a bit more complicated. So, I had to choose more carefully," Orochimaru began as his thoughts turned to the Hyuuga Clan. "After months of researching every Hyuuga member from the Branch Family, I finally found the perfect candidate. Neji proved to be the perfect pawn to acquire the_** Hyuuga Cooperation**_," Orochimaru said as amusement lit his golden eyes.

"He already hated the Main Family for taking both his parents away from him. In his eyes his mother and father had been murdered in cold blood, and for what?" Orochimaru asked; looking at Kabuto in expectation.

"To safeguard the secret of the Hyuuga virus from the world," Kabuto dutifully answered and watched as Orochimaru smiled another disturbing smile.

"Right. His parents died in order to keep the secret of the virus from becoming public knowledge. After all, what would society think of the _**Hyuuga Cooperation**_ if they found out that the Main Family infected every member of the Branch Family, at the age of four, with a deadly virus that, if went untreated, would slowly kill them in less than half a year?"

"They would not tolerate such an atrocity to continue," Kabuto answered once again; playing his part in Orochimaru's discourse.

"Correct again. Society would never stand for such a thing once it was made public. However, the Main Family cannot afford to have the knowledge of the virus escape the walls of the Hyuuga Mansion. It is their only trump card against the Branch Family. The virus allows them to control the Branch Family and is their only guarantee that the Branch Family will never betray them. But why go so far to control the Brach Family one may ask? The answer is simple, the Branch Family, as a whole, has enough power to overthrow the Main Family; a fact that the Main Family is keenly aware of. The members of the Main Family are the only Hyuuga's that are not subjected to the virus. So, they utilize the virus as a sort of threat against the Branch Family. The Main Family provides the necessary pills and antidotes which keeps the members of the Brach Family alive. All in all, the Hyuuga virus, is the most effective way to keep the Branch Family in line, and ever loyal to the Main Family."

"The virus is an ingenious concoction that gives the Main Family total control of the Branch Family," the medic summed up.

"Nicely put, Kabuto," Orochimaru told him. "The Main family cannot lose such an advantage, so their main concern is to dispose of any and all evidence of the virus existence."

"Knowing what we know, it is rather easy to destroy the Hyuuga Clan. Their most exploitable weakness lies in the virus itself. If we could discover the cure to it, the Branch Family would not hesitate to betray the Main Family and allow me to take over the _**Hyuuga Cooperation**_ as long as I gave them the cure in exchange.

Orochimaru leaned back on his chair, smug arrogance clearly visible in his posture.

"However, for my plan to have a chance of succeeding, I needed to get a hold of a live specimen that carried the virus in order to study it. But, the specimen I chose couldn't be just any specimen. I needed to find a specimen that Hiashi would do anything to keep alive. If I simply kidnapped a member of the Branch Family, that specimen would die in less than six months, which was not nearly enough time to discover the components of the virus, and much less a cure. This is where Neji came in. Though, he hated the Main Family, Hiashi loved him like he was his own son. Hiashi's fatherly love for his nephew became the key to my plan. Unlike any other Branch Family member, Hiashi would not simply let Neji die, especially if he knew it was his own fault Neji left in the first place. So, all I needed to do was inform Neji of the circumstances of his father's death and present the information in such a way that Neji would forget all rationality and fall victim to an emotional breakdown. Once that happened, it was child's play to sway him to leave his family and become my specimen in hopes of discovering a cure for the virus that claimed both his parent's lives. Once Neji, of his own free will, accepted to come with us, I won. I gained a willing specimen, and at the same time, enough of the Hyuuga antidote to study at my leisure, since Hiashi would be forced to give up his precious pills and antidotes in order to keep his nephew alive."

Orochimaru sighed. "It was the perfect plan that is, until the virus proved to be more difficult to decipher than I had anticipated. At that point the only option left to me was to forget about finding a cure altogether, and instead, focus on how to create the virus itself. I would use the virus the Main Family had been holding over the Branch Family for centuries, and threaten to infect them with it; and since they wouldn't seek outside assistance. I would have them backed against a wall. Though I had to re-work my original plan, it was still salvageable that is until all my research for the past five years was blown up and in the process, lost my specimen. Now, like a common criminal, I've had to resort to kidnapping the head doctor of the Hyuuga clinic, but even with such drastic measures, I still couldn't get the components of the virus."

Kabuto said nothing. What could he say?

"However, Itachi's recent engagement to the Hyuuga Heiress is a godsend to me. Who would have thought that the Uchiha prodigy would have ever married the failure of the Hyuuga Clan? But, if you look at the situation closely, it was quite brilliant of him. With his marriage to the Hyuuga Heiress, he will become the CEO of both companies. Of course that will only happen after they merge their companies together, a merger that everyone knows will occur. Who in their right mind would let such an opportunity go to waste? The merger will happen without a doubt," Orochimaru confidently said before he broke out in peals laughter. He was going to exploit Itachi's marriage to the Hyuuga Heiress in order to take over both corporations without the virus; though he would have preferred to have the virus in his arsenal just in case things got a little bit messy.

"Once Itachi announces a merger between _**Uchiha Enterprises**_ and the _**Hyuuga Cooperation**_, all I have to do is wait 'till their marriage occurs and he becomes CEO of both companies. At that point, I'll dispose of him and his new bride, which will leave both companies in Sasuke's control. Once Sasuke gains control of both companies, then he'll join his brother and his new bride. Thanks to Itachi's marriage, I have both companies within my grasp. It's only a matter of time," Orochimaru said as he sat back up and looked at Kabuto with mirth shining off his golden eyes.

* * *

After his encounter with Neji, Gaara had been more than a little unstable. He needed to get his thoughts under control. So, instead of driving back to his cabin, where he would do nothing but pace around his room trying to stifle the rush of memories the Hyuuga had re-opened, he decided to stay with Naruto for a while. 

When he got to Naruto's place, he was a total wreck. He doubted if he could have made it back home even if he had wanted too. He barely made it to Naruto's house before his mind started conjuring up images from his past, and pretty soon, he couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. By the time he rang Naruto's doorbell, his body started shaking again, and his skin broke out in fear-induced goosebumps as his nightmares lead him back to the dark abyss of his mind.

Naruto took one look at him, and immediately ushered him inside before asking him what had happened. Not one to lie or hide anything, Gaara told him about Neji, and everything that had transpired between the two of them.

It was obvious to Naruto that Gaara needed him more than ever, which was the only reason he didn't go back to the museum to finish what the red-head had started.

It had only been about a week ago that Naruto had told Gaara about Sasuke's sudden reappearance, and now the Hyuuga. It was all the blonde could do not to break out in a string of curses.

Naruto did the only thing he could do for his friend and kept Gaara company until the wee hours of the morning. However, by the time 5 o'clock came around, Naruto was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. Unlike Gaara, he needed rest, and could not function without at least a few hours of sleep. While "resting" his eyes, Naruto inevitably fell asleep, a fact Gaara was glad of. He knew Naruto hadn't been getting much sleep lately what with the Uchiha's return and all. Besides, all he needed was a person's presence.

Sometimes the loneliness got so bad that he just needed to be near another human being. He needed to be reassured that he wasn't alone; it didn't matter if the person was awake or not, all that mattered was that Naruto was real and more importantly that he was there, with him. He needed to know that he wasn't alone in the darkness.

Gaara spent the next few hours trying to get his thoughts into some form of order, and by the time Naruto woke up again, Gaara was nowhere in sight, a fact that instantly panicked the blonde. It wasn't until he searched the entire house calling out Gaara's name that he saw the letter stuck to his planner, and immediately snatched the letter from his day planner and read the short note.

_Thank you for staying up with me._

_I got myself back together and headed home. _

_- Gaara_

Naruto sighed and slumped on a nearby chair. That was Gaara for you: short and to the point.

Knowing that Gaara needed some time to himself, Naruto gave him just that, hoping that he had indeed put himself back together.

A few days had passed since incident at his house, and it was now Saturday night, Gaara's big debut. Naruto was excited for him, and had even gone up to his cabin to accompany him to the show.

"Are you sure you're okay Gaara?" Naruto asked his friend as he watched Gaara hurriedly cover up his bare chest; yanking down a skin-tight burgundy top that was a few inches shy of covering his navel; obviously Kakashi had bought it for him, and promised a "fate worse than death" if he didn't wear it. The outfit was completed by leather pants of the same style and color.

"I told you, I'll be fine," Gaara growled as he bent down to slip on his shoes. If he didn't hurry, he would be more than an hour late to the art show, as it was; he was already going to be thirty minutes late. He would surely have to deal with Kakashi as well as Naruto's nagging at the rate things were going.

He couldn't believe he had been so caught up in his own memories that he had totally forgotten about the time. If it hadn't been for Naruto, who knows what time he would have snapped out of his morbid thoughts. As soon as the blonde showed up to his cabin, Gaara had literally run to the shower and was out within minutes grabbing his clothes and throwing them on. It was quite a show.

"I can't believe that Hyuuga bastard came back after all this time! _**And**_ that he had the nerve to try and talk to you. I'm glad you kicked his ass!" Naruto ranted, knowing that Gaara would _not_ be fine. He knew Gaara was barely keeping it together, but what could he do?

Gaara simply rolled his eyes at Naruto's words as he grabbed his keys, "I told you, I only choked him a little. I didn't kick his ass," he corrected him for the third time. "Are you coming or not?" he asked him as he left his bedroom.

"Of course I'm coming!" Naruto yelled as he caught up to him.

Once outside the cabin, Gaara went straight to his car, not bothering to greet the blonde's new bodyguard who was waiting at the wheel of a sleek car for Naruto's return.

"I'll see you there. Don't be too late," Gaara warned him as he jumped into his car and turned on the engine. A few moments later he gunned the gas and raced onto the road at full speed, not bothering to wait for Naruto.

He was determined to cut his time in half.

"Damn it Gaara!" Naruto yelled as he jumped into his own car, and told Yamato to, "Step on it! Don't lose him!"

Not needing to be told twice, Yamato put his foot on the gas and was racing down the road within seconds. However, it was already too late, not even his skills could match Gaara's inhuman abilities and within moments into the chase he lost sight of his car.

"Damn!" Naruto growled, "and you call yourself a bodyguard!" he accused Yamato "You can't even keep up with a short little red-head," Naruto pouted. He had been so sure Yamato would be able to keep up with Gaara. Damn it.

* * *

"Kakashi aren't you even a little worried that Gaara isn't here yet?" a worried Iruka asked his partner of eight years now. 

Kakashi slipped his arm around Iruka's waist, and brought the man closer to him. "There's no point in worrying about it. It's not like it'll do me much good. Besides, Gaara will be here, if nothing more than to show these people inspecting his art that he doesn't care a flying fuck about their opinion."

"Kakashi! Watch your language," Iruka reprimanded him.

Kakashi's only response was a string of laugher that erupted from the pit of his belly. He couldn't even remember how many times the brunette had chastised him about his language.

"Come on, Iruka. Let's go mingle with the crowd. We can find out what people think about Gaara's art," Kakashi told his lover as he steered him toward a particularly large group of people, all admiring a display of Gaara's more distinguished pieces. The red-head had deviated from traditional glass blowing techniques, and instead, cast glass in order to make beautiful dresses that gave the impression that it was being worn by an actual woman. Each dress clung to the body shape of an invisible woman; it was truly remarkable.

_**(A/N: If you would like to see pictures of the various glass dresses I'm describing, then you can get the link in my profile. It will be under the name of "Dress Impressions")**_

He had no doubt that the night would be a success. People were already reserving their right to buy certain pieces, and the show hadn't even started yet.

As Kakashi and Iruka mingled with the crowd, a certain blue-eyes blonde caught his eyes—Deidara.

Deidara was a famous clay sculptor, a type of celebrity in the art world so to say. He was a great show man, and the media loved him, especially when he decided to have one of his special shows; shows which consisted of him exploding sculptures that he created for that very purpose. Everyone in the art world knew about Deidara's obsession with blowing stuff up. However, you can't sell blown up art, a fact that Deidara cleverly managed to work around. He created special shows in which he did just that—explode his art. Every show was always sold, out and tickets weren't cheap either. Deidara had done what most people that impossible: sell ruined art; and for that he was considered an artist of a whole new caliber.

But that was beside the point. What interested Kakashi more was why an artist of his caliber, was doing in Konoha, attending the grand debut of a little known artist?

Not one to let his curiosity go unsatisfied, Kakashi made his way toward the artist and the man who accompanied him.

At the moment Deidara was looking over a display of various pieces that had taken Kakashi a long time to arrange.

"What do you think of him?" Kakashi asked the blonde, obviously referring to Gaara, as he stopped in front of the display, Iruka at his side.

Deidara had been inspecting a display of various art works which Kakashi had labeled "Sea Forms", since most of the pieces that he decided to include in the display were of different types of shells and other sea forms found only in the depths of the ocean, brought to life through Gaara's imagination and sweat.

_**(A/N: If you would like to see a picture of the display that I'm describing, then you can get the link in my profile. It will be under the name of "Sea Forms")**_

Hearing the question addressed to him, Deidara flicked his eyes away from the display he had been admiring, and regarded the two new arrivals.

After taking a moment to inspect the pair, Deidara turned his attention back to the display, and took another look at it before giving his reply. "He's got talent," was all he said. Of course, coming from him, it was very high praise.

"I like the colors he used—they're bold. But what really got my attention is the subtle fragility he incorporated into such beautiful pieces. Each piece is slender, and so thinly-transparent that it seems as if they'll shatter with a simple touch. The very delicacy of each piece is a direct contradiction with the bold colors and enormity of them. You would think that since he made the glass so thin, he would have made the sculptures much smaller, but instead, he chose to make them very large in order to encompass more space in an attempt to defy their own vulnerability," Deidara surmised.

"A great deduction, but that's to be expected from the infamous Deidara," Kakashi complimented him as he held out his hand in greeting. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, Gaara's patron, and this is Iruka, my life-partner," Kakashi said, gesturing to Iruka at his side.

"Hello," was all a nervous Iruka said as he darted his eyes away from Deidara's piercing gaze, when they flicked to him at his greeting.

"It seems you already know my name, so theirs no need to introduce myself. But this here is Tobi, a friend of mine," Deidara gestured to the man next to him.

"So, are you guys really like together?" Tobi asked them as he happily looked from Kakashi and Iruka, clearly expecting an answer.

At his question, Iruka blushed, Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, and Deidara's deftly smacked him upside the head for such a rude comment, which had Tobi cursing like a pirate, demanding to know what he had done wrong. Deidara simply glared at him, which effectively shut the other male up.

"Forgive him for his rudeness. He's missing a few important screws, if you know what I mean," Deidara explained as he continued to glare at Tobi.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi told him. It had been rather amusing.

Glad that the curator had taken Tobi's comment good-naturedly, Deidara asked Kakashi if he could introduce him to his protégé. However, the sudden shift in conversation to Gaara himself and not his artwork, immediately reminded Kakashi that said artist was supposed to be introduced to the guests in less than ten minutes, which was going to be a hard feat to accomplish when Gaara had yet to arrive.

After agreeing to introduce Gaara to him, Kakashi quickly excused himself from the pair, and walked out of the gallery. Once outside the gallery he pulled out his cell-phone and dialed Gaara's cell before heading to his office.

A minute later, after numerous rings, he got the red-head's voicemail.

Not one to be defeated so easily, Kakashi dialed Naruto's number. He was sure the blonde knew where his protégé was at the moment. Naruto would never let Gaara miss his big day.

After two rings, the blonde answered.

"Naruto, where's Gaara?" Kakashi got straight to the point.

"Kakashi?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, now where's Gaara?" Kakashi asked him again.

"Oh. . . Oh! He left for the museum about ten minutes ago," Naruto answered him.

"Please tell me, he left from your house and not his own," Kakashi said as dread pooled at the pit of his stomach.

Gaara's cabin was at least an hour's ride from Konoha. So, if Gaara had just left his house, that meant he would defiantly be late.

"Okay, then I won't tell you," Naruto told him a little sheepishly, and before he could get in another word, Kakashi hung up on him, already heading to the gallery where he would have to make some excuse to explain Gaara's absence.

* * *

After Kakashi excused himself, Iruka soon gave his own good-bye to the pair and continued to mingle with the crowd, which left Tobi and Deidara alone once again. 

"I can't believe we actually attended this stupid art show because of a picture you saw on the newspaper," an annoyed Tobi told his sempai as soon as they were alone again. He was referring to the picture of the infamous kiss between Naruto and Gaara.

"I mean, come on. I bet the only thing he has in common with Sasori is the art thing and the red hair, which was all you could actually see of the guy in the picture," Tobi continued, unaware of the killing aura radiating off the blonde male next to him.

"I seriously can't believe were wasting out time here because the artist they're showcasing has some resemblance to Saso—"

Before Tobi could say anther word, Deidara grabbed him by his collar, and pulled him close so that they were face to face. "Don't you dare say his name with your fowl mouth again," Deidara growled as he stared down at the man in front of him. Tobi immediately nodded his head, cursing himself for his stupidity. He had almost forgotten that his sempai had yet to get over Sasori's death. It was almost a year ago that it had happened but Deidara still clung to Sasori's memory.

After he let him go, Tobi decided to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the night, though he highly doubted he would be able to execute such a task.

He really felt bad for Deidara. The man had lost the only person he had ever loved.

Deidara had first met Sasori at a museum much like the one they were in now. They had talked, and had immediately hated each another, which was mainly due to the fact that they disagreed on what he essence of true art really was.

Sasori believed that great art should be immortal and last forever, which is why he worked with marble, and created sculptures that would surpass the test of time. On the other hand, Deidara believed that great art was a momentary experience. It was beautiful because it would eventually disappear, so you had to appreciate it then and there before it was gone for all eternity. That's why he worked with clay, a medium that would crumble with time. In fact, the reason why Deidara had first decided to explode his art in his special shows was to mock Sasori and his notion of art; a gesture that irritated Sasori enough to retaliate and eventually form a petty rivalry between the two. Eventually they both stopped attacking each other's notions of art, and rivalry soon turned into something else.

The two grew closer until one day they were simply together. A fact that Deidara was extremely happy with, and so, the two were inseparable. They were in love, though Deidara had to practically threaten Sasori before he would admit such a thing.

Time passed and their feelings for one another grew, which only benefited their art. They were creating masterpiece after masterpiece, which caught the attention of the art world and pretty soon they had become world class artists.

Tobi was a big admirer of Deidara's art. He wanted to become an artist in his own right, so he begged him if he could take him under his wing, an offer Deidara promptly refused. But, being the stubborn person that he was, Tobi wouldn't take no for an answer, and so he became a sort of errand boy for the blonde in hopes that he would one day take him as his apprentice.

Sasori and Deidara were on top of the world, but like it so often happens, just when they thought they couldn't be happier tragedy struck in a form of a heart attack.

Sasori had a heart attack, and was rushed by Deidara and Tobi to the hospital where Deidara learned of Sasori's heart condition, a condition he had kept a secret from him for five years.

To put it simply, Sasori had been waiting for a heart donor for the last five years, and if he didn't receive a heart transplant soon, he would die in less than a year.

Deidara had been distraught, but eventually pulled himself back together for Sasori's sake. For eight grueling months, he was at Sasori's side trying to make everyday count. By the time eight months passed by, Deidara began to lose hope that the heart they were so desperately waiting for would never come. But as luck should have it, on the ninth month since Sasori's heart attack, they received the happy news that a heart had been found, and in less than three days, Sasori was undergoing surgery.

Throughout those ninth months Tobi had been there for both of Deidara and Sasori. Though he still wanted to become Deidara's apprentice that was not the reason he stayed. He stayed because he knew Deidara needed someone there. The blonde couldn't tackle this on his own, and even though he never said anything, Tobi knew he appreciated his presence, especially when Sasori became withdrawn and refused to talk to him.

On the day of the surgery, the two stood outside the surgery room as they watched through the glass window as a team of doctors cut into Sasori's flesh. They waited and waited, and by the time three hours had gone by, Sasori's heat monitor went flat line. The doctors tried to revive him, but after five minutes they declared him dead.

It was all Tobi could do to keep Deidara from rushing into the surgery room and clinging to Sasori's dead body.

After Sasori's death, Tobi had taken it upon himself to help Deidara get through this difficult time. Six months after that fateful day, Deidara brought Tobi under his wing as he began to move on, but he never forgot about Sasori, which is why he had been so adamant about meeting Gaara face to face after having seen his picture in the papers.

He and Tobi had been passing through Konoha, on their way to Suna, when Deidara had first seen the picture littered across every newspaper in the city. The sunny blonde hair, much like the color of his own, and shocking crimson locks, whose color he had only ever encountered once before in Sasori's crimson locks, was the only thing that registered in Deidara's mind as he studied the picture. If he changed a few features here and there, he could almost fool himself in believing that it was a picture of Sasori and himself.

He continued to stare at the picture and eventually read the small article that accompanied the image, and almost let the newspaper fall from his hand in shock when he found out Gaara was an artist.

It was like an omen. An omen he couldn't ignore. So, he immediately canceled their trip to Suna, and managed to retrieve a pair of tickets to his show. He needed to meet the male that reminded him so much of Sasori.

* * *

Half an hour after Gaara was _supposed_ to be introduced to the guests, said red-head screeched to a stop in front of the gallery, where Kakashi was dutifully waiting for him. 

"Glad you showed up," Kakashi told him nonchalantly. He had already managed to turn Gaara's lateness to his own advantage. After all, artists were always prone to be late due to some artistic distraction or another. It was to be expected, and besides, the more the audience waited to see the creative genius behind the works of art they had been admiring all evening, the more their anticipation grew. All in all, Gaara's tardiness was actually a good thing, and it didn't hurt that he looked like a sex god that just stepped out of a wet dream in the tight outfit he had on.

Without another word, Kakashi lead Gaara to the east Gallery where the art show was being held in. Once they were standing outside the gallery doors, Kakashi told Gaara to wait for him outside the doors until he called for him. Gaara only rolled his eyes at Kakashi's attempt to add some drama to his introduction, but Kakashi paid no mind to him.

Once Kakashi entered the gallery he asked for everyone's attention in a clear crisp voice. Like the good host, he welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming to his protégé's grand debut. He then gave a small bio on Gaara before he gestured to the gallery's doors and asked Gaara to enter.

Thus, began Gaara's long night.

* * *

When Deidara finally saw Gaara, he, along with many other guests, was instantly enamored with him. 

To put it simply, Gaara was stunning.

He wore a top of the deepest shade of burgundy that wrapped around his torso, emphasizing every dip and curve of his well-toned body. Low-riding pants of the same shade of color wrapped around his hips and thighs hiding nothing and everything at the same time. But what really caught Deidara's attention was the striking resemblance he bore to his deceased lover.

"_He almost looks like Sasori," _the blonde thought as he gazed at the shocking blood-red hair, still noticeably wet from a recent shower. The unruly crimson spikes skimmed porcelain white skin. However, the blood red kanji tattoo brought Deidara back to reality. Sasori never had a tattoo.

From his vantage point, Gaara noticed the unwavering attention the blonde was paying him, and glared at him.

"He's looking straight at you, Deidara-sempai," Tobi murmured to him, effectively disrupting the spell Deidara's thoughts had placed him under.

He looked up and was surprised to note that Gaara was indeed glaring at him. Tearing his eyes away from the all too familiar red-head, Deidara turned to Tobi and exchanged a few words with him before returning his attention back to Gaara, who had stopped glaring at him once he had stopped staring at him and was now speaking with Kakashi.

"_I have to speak to him,"_ were Deidara's only thoughts as he turned his piercing gaze back on the unsuspecting red-head.

Standing a few meters from Deidara and Tobi, a suspicious Neji narrowed his eyes at the blonde who was staring so intensely at Gaara—again. He didn't like it. But he couldn't do anything about it—yet.

Having known Gaara as a teen, Neji knew he didn't make empty threats. If Gaara noticed him, he would not hesitate to carry out his threat, not that Neji thought that Gaara could actually hurt him—too bad. I mean, he had trained for years with Genma and could hold his own against anyone. He didn't want to hurt Gaara, but he didn't want to visit the hospital either.

Even though he didn't look it, Gaara was tough. Years of carrying that iron pipe when he created his glass sculptures had made Gaara unnaturally strong. Neji only hoped he could restrain Gaara fast enough before the red-head got in any good hits.

* * *

"Gaara, this is Deidara. He's a famous clay artist, and self-proclaimed bomb expert," Kakashi said the last with a hint of amusement. 

Gaara said nothing. He merely stared at the blonde male with his expressionless face. He didn't know why the blonde—Deidara— had been staring at him so intensely when Kakashi had introduced him, but he hadn't appreciated the attention. A fact, he was going to make very clear.

Next to Deidara, Tobi tried to swallow his snickers when he saw Gaara's cold expression. Gaara's facial expressions were as varied as Sasori's had been. It seemed the red-head had more in common with Sasori than he had first thought. Aside from the subtle facial structure, short stature and eye color, Gaara reminded Tobi a lot of Sasori, but with a lot less emotion and a lot more coldness. Even though Sasori had been a little cold himself, Deidara could always get some raw emotion out of him, but Gaara's eyes radiated nothing but a freezing winter.

Ignoring Tobi's snickers, Deidara held out his hand to Gaara in a friendly gesture.

Gaara ignored it.

Seeing what his protégé had done, Kakashi wisely stepped in and struck up a conversation between the two as he played the role of mediator.

Gaara barely said more than a dozen words throughout the conversation.

* * *

Standing a few meters behind Gaara, and wearing a turtle-neck top to hide the bruises a certain red-head had left on him, Neji glared at Deidara; anger radiated off his pale-lavender eyes. He wasn't stupid. He knew what the blonde was up to. 

He wanted Gaara.

But, Neji wasn't about to let him take him without a fight.

"Neji, you're breaking your glass," a worried Hinata told him as she noticed the cracked champagne glass in her cousin's hand. He had been clutching the glass too forcefully. Worried for her cousin, Hinata looked up at Neji and was surprised to see that he was glaring at someone. Following his gaze, Hinata soon came across a shock of blood-red hair.

"Gaara," she murmured as she recognized Neji's ex.

Neji said nothing at her deduction, and instead continued to glare at the blonde male talking to Gaara.

Looking from the blonde male to her cousin and back again, Hinata now understood why Neji had been unaccustomedly irritated all evening; not that he showed it in his actions. Neji had been nothing but a gentleman all evening. Yet, despite his actions, Hinata could practically feel sparks radiating off of him.

* * *

As he listened to Kakashi, Deidara took a sip of his drink, and took the time to take a look at the long-haired male. The man had been glaring at him ever since he started talking to Gaara. 

It seemed he had competition.

Deciding to put his claim on the table, Deidara caught Neji's eyes and smirked at him knowingly before he turned his attention to Gaara and sent him a seductive smile while he scooted closer to him.

"Gaara may I talk to you out on the balcony," Deidara asked him in a low tone. He then flicked his eyes to Neji just to make sure the other male saw what he was doing before returning his attention back to Gaara.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at Deidara's invitation. He wasn't stupid, he knew something was up. But what that something was, he didn't know and didn't really care to find out, but before he could refuse Deidara's invitation Kakashi answered for him.

"Gaara would love to go with you," Kakashi accepted for him. Deidara was a very influential man in the art world, and in his mind, it could only benefit Gaara's career if he made friends with the clay artist.

Not waiting for Gaara to protest, Kakashi practically pushed his protégé toward the balcony, which had been deserted all evening due to the cold night air. Deidara wisely kept his mouth shut and opened the balcony double doors for Gaara to step through. The doors had been shut early in the evening. Before Deidara closed the doors behind him, he looked back at the long-haired male and almost chuckled when he saw the rage radiating off his lavender eyes.

Once he closed the doors, Deidara made his way to Gaara, who was leaning on the railing looking up at the moonlit sky.

The blonde silently thanked Kakashi for interfering. He knew if it hadn't been for the curator, Gaara would have declined his invitation without hesitation; a fact that amazed him.

Usually people clamored to get his attention, especially artists. Almost every artist he had come across wanted him for his power; his influence. But Gaara was different. He didn't care who he was and cared even less to get his attention. It was rather refreshing.

Deidara stood next to the red-head and through his peripheral vision he looked at him while he stared up at the night sky.

"_God, he reminds me so much of Sasori,"_ Deidara thought as he watched the shorter male. He was so beautiful.

"It's beautiful," Deidara murmured as he tore his eyes away from Gaara's captivating face and looked up at the night sky. He could see the glittering stars scattered across the night sky.

* * *

Inside the gallery, Neji gave a passing waiter his cracked glass, and headed for the balcony. 

He couldn't believe that Gaara had gone to the balcony with the blonde. Well, more like pushed by Kakashi, but still, he should have at least protested!!!

As Neji walked past Tobi, the dark-haired male followed him. His Sempai would surely be mad if someone interrupted his time with the red-head. However, he didn't need to do anything.

It seemed that the long-haired male wasn't going to interrupt them. He was merely watching them from the glass balcony doors. However, Tobi stood close to the other male and kept an eye on him, just in case.

* * *

Deidara scooted closer to Gaara, and was grateful that he was too distracted with his thoughts to protest or even notice his action. It was a cold night and as the two stood close to each other, the clay artist could feel the subtle ripple of heat radiating off of him. It took a big chunk of his self-control to stop himself from moving closer to the source. He was sure Gaara would not appreciate the invasion of his personal space. For a minute Deidara said nothing and simply kept his eyes on the crisp clear sky. It felt really good to just stand near him. He felt as if he was standing with Sasori once again. 

"_He's not Sasori, but I still want him,"_ Deidara thought as he looked at Gaara's expressionless face. He didn't know why, but in the short amount of time he had spent with Gaara, he had felt as if Sasori was once again with him. He didn't want to give up that feeling. Even if Gaara wasn't Sasori, Deidara was willing to settle for a similar version of him. At least he wouldn't be alone again. Mind made up, Deidara turned to Gaara; he was determined to have him by his side—forever.

"You're a great artist, Gaara," he softly complimented him. "But even a great artist needs a helping hand every once and awhile. I can help you, you know. If you let me," he softly murmured; looking at Gaara's impassive face searching for any reaction to his offer.

He found none.

"I don't expect anything in exchange," he assured him, knowing Gaara's thoughts had defiantly headed in that direction. Anyone would be suspicious of such an offer, especially when it came out of nowhere, but Deidara didn't care. At the moment, all he cared about was having him by his side.

"No thanks," was all Gaara said as he took his eyes off the serene night sky and stepped away from him, ready to go back inside.

"…what?" a dumbfounded blonde mumbled as Gaara walked past him, heading for the balcony doors.

"_Is he actually turning down my offer?"_

"Do you know how many artists would kill to have such an offer!?" Deidara told him, raising his voice a little as he turned around to face him.

Gaara stopped his forward motion, and regarded Deidara with cold eyes. The blonde was getting on his nerves.

"Then make your offer to one of them and leave me alone. I don't need, nor want your help. I work alone," Gaara coldly told him.

Deidara grew angry at his words. How dare he refuse such a generous offer! He hadn't even considered it. Clenching his hands in frustration, Deidara tried to calm himself down. If Gaara was anything like Sasori, then he wouldn't spare him a moment's time if he had a tantrum.

In a lot calmer voice, Deidara re-worded his offer. "If you let me, I can make you famous. You'd be known around the world as an international artist of the highest caliber, and rich enough to live anyway you want. You wouldn't even have to leave your patron, or your home. I'd be happy to move to Konoha and help you. I can give you fame and fortune," Deidara tried to tempt him, offering him the world in a silver platter if he only let him stay by his side. "I'm not asking for anything in return Gaara. All you'd have to do is allow me to help you. Nothing else."

Gaara turned his entire body around so that he was facing the blonde, and cocked his head to the side as if contemplating his offer.

It took all of Deidara's self-control to simply stand there and wait for Gaara's answer. He was sure the red-head would accept his proposal. He was offering him an artist's dream. To have world wide recognition and enough wealth than they ever dreamed possible. There was no way Gaara could refuse such an offer, and once he accepted his very generous offer, Deidara would have him by his side. They would spend hour's together working on their art just like he and Sasori had done. He was sure that he could eventually win Gaara's heart. He could make Gaara happy, just like he'd made Sasori happy. Like Gaara, Sasori had been just as reluctant at first, but eventually they fell in love with each other. He was sure the same thing could happen twice. The red-head reminded him so much of Sasori that he was sure they had a similar mind set… so how could Gaara not fall in love with him when Sasori had?

"That would be a very tempting offer," Gaara told him, "that is, if I actually wanted fame and fortune. But I don't want any of that. All I want is to be left alone. So thanks, but no thanks," Gaara told him before leaving a shocked blonde behind.

For a few seconds, a speechless Deidara simply stared at Gaara's retreating back as the red-head headed for the door. But his astonishment soon faded and was replaced by anger.

Before Gaara knew what was happening, Deidara had grabbed his arm and whipped him around so that they were face to face. "What do you mean you don't want fame and fortune," Deidara yelled; anger radiating off his every pore.

"Let. Go. Of. Me," Gaara gritted out as he glared up at him. He was pissed.

"_Finally, some damn emotion,"_ Deidara thought as the livid male glared up at him; anger radiating off his teal eyes.

"Why did you refuse my offer? What more do you want?!" Deidara yelled at him as he grabbed his shoulders and harshly shook the shorter male; barely keeping his anger in check.

* * *

Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, Neji didn't see more. Anyone worth their salt could tell what was happening. 

"That's it," Neji whispered as he watched the proceedings through the glass balcony doors. He wasn't going to stand there and let the bastard take advantage of Gaara. Without hesitation, Neji reached for the handle ready to pummel the blonde for daring to touch what was his.

"You should have just let them be," a dark-haired male said from behind him.

The Hyuuga immediately turned around and glared at the stranger. "What do you want?" he coldly asked him.

Tobi smiled. "Well, for starters, I want you to step away from those doors and let my sempai finish his conversation," he told him; clearly expecting him to comply. "And, maybe you can get me drink. I'm a little thirsty," Tobi jokingly put in.

This time, it was Neji's turn to smile. "You can't stop me," he confidently told him. He was sure he could take him.

Tobi's smile never wavered. "That might be true, but I don't have to stop you because you're not going to do anything."

"I don't have time for this," Neji muttered as he reached for the balcony doors again.

"Do you really want to ruin Gaara's big day?" Tobi asked him, and watched in amusement as Neji's hand stopped on the door handle. "This is Gaara's big debut as an artist. This could either make or break his career, and if you go out there and start a ruckus with Deidara-sempai, then you'll not only ruin his debut, but you'll also make one of the art worlds biggest names, his enemy. Do you really hate him that much to do that to him?" Tobi asked, knowing he had the other.

Neji gritted his teeth. The bastard was right. He didn't want to ruin this for Gaara. But at the same time, he couldn't just stand there and let the blonde—Deidara, as the other had called him—do that to his love.

"Sometimes Deidara-sempai can get a little emotional," Tobi explained. "But you don't have to worry, he would never harm him. He reminds him too much of Sasori," Tobi absently told him as he watched the two outside.

"Who's Sasori?" Neji asked him, suspicion in his voice.

"No one that concerns you," was all Tobi said.

* * *

"I said let go," Gaara warned him one last time. He couldn't stand being touched; he hated it. All it had ever brought him was heartache and pain, and this time it was no different. 

At his words, the other grew angry as memories of Sasori's abandonment assaulted his thoughts, and in his mind that was exactly what Sasori had done. He had abandoned him; left him to suffer alone in the cruel world without him, and now he was doing it again. In his anger, Deidara roughly grabbed a hand-full of crimson locks, and forcefully pulled Gaara's head down so that he was staring up at him; ice blue clashing with furious teal.

"Why don't you want me by your side?" Deidara yelled down at a furious Gaara; images of Sasori's last moments flashing through his mind. He couldn't tell the difference between his deceased lover the red-head he was so callously holding.

"Don't you love me anymore, Sasori!?" a wide-eyed Deidara asked him; fear radiating off his blue eyes as he waited for his lovers response.

"Take your fucken hands off of me!" Gaara gritted out through clenched teeth as his hair was literally pulled out from its roots. The bastard would pay; he would make sure of it.

"Why are you trying to leave me again?!" he desperately asked him, right before his left cheek met Gaara's fist.

That would teach the bastard to leave him an opening Gaara thought, right before he delivered another powerful blow to the blonde's temple followed up by a knee kick to his midsection, then another blow to his face, this time to his right cheek. The blows left Deidara disoriented enough to loosen his grip on him, a fact that Gaara quickly took advantage of as he threw the blonde off of him in a smooth and powerful motion.

"Gaara!" Neji yelled out as he ran to him, leaving a bloody nosed Tobi behind. The Hyuuga felt no regret for breaking the man's nose, that's what he got for trying to stop him from coming to Gaara's aid.

Gaara stiffened at the all too familiar voice, but unlike last time, this time he didn't freeze up, and as soon as Neji got within hitting distance, Gaara threw a punch at his face, which Neji barely dodged as he jumped away from him.

"Why the hell are you here, Hyuuga?!" Gaara furiously yelled at him.

Throughout his entire confrontation with Deidara, he had managed to keep his voice level, but as soon as Neji was introduced into the picture, he lost it.

"Answer me!" he yelled.

"I already told you." Neji said. "I'm never going to leave you again," he told him as he rubbed his bruised and sore throat through his turtleneck. Thanks to Gaara's rough treatment of him a few days ago, his throat was still sore and it had only worsened when he had brilliantly decided to yell out his name.

Gaara's eyes shifted to his throat as he softly rubbed it. "I warned you about approaching me Hyuuga," Gaara told him as he clenched his hand in a tight fist. He was not happy with his sudden appearance.

"I remember," he murmured; looking him straight in the eye as he boldly took a step toward him in clear challenge. Gaara tightened his fist, but before either could say or do anything about his bold action, Gaara grunted in surprise as someone literally threw themselves at him, fiercely hugging him around the waist.

"Please don't leave me Sasori," Deidara sobbed into his exposed belly as he clutched Gaara's waist with all his strength. The blonde was on his knees in front of a now surprised Gaara.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Gaara yelled at him as his mind began to panic at the close proximity of the other male. Unwanted memories began to flash across his mind's eye, alarming him even more.

"Sempai!" a worried Tobi cried out as he ran to Deidara's side. He had managed to stifle his bleeding nose with a piece of cloth he had ripped off his now ruined outfit. Currently he was holding the cloth to his nose while he tried to pull Deidara off of a now panicking Gaara.

"_**GET HIM OFF! NOW!!!"**_ Gaara yelled at Tobi as Deidara's hold on him only tightened.

Tobi tried to coax his sempai away from the red-head but Deidara would have none of it. He was determined to keep Sasori with him, no matter what.

"I'm sorry Gaara, but I can't," Tobi told him as worriedly looked at his sempai.

Not waiting for Tobi to continue, Gaara grabbed a first-full of blonde hair and roughly yanked Deidara away from him—an eye for an eye. However, the blonde proved to be more resilient than he looked. Even with the harsh action, he never loosened his hold on hiswaist.

"Please don't leave me, Sasori" he whispered into Gaara's belly, lips skimming his exposed flesh.

"_**What the Hell is going on, and why does he keep calling me Sasori?!" **_Gaara exploded as he glared at Tobi, trying to ignore Deidara's invasion of his personal space.

In fright, Tobi unconsciously backed away from him, but was stopped by Neji hand on his back. "Answer him," he told him as he regarded Deidara with cold eyes. How dare he touch what was his. He could clearly tell that the blonde was having an emotional, yet that didn't stop him from wanting to hurt the blonde for his actions against the shorter male.

"He thinks your Sasori," Tobi told them; shoulders sinking at his inadequacy. Like before, he could do nothing to help his sempai.

"Who's Sasori?" Neji questioned him.

"He was an artist just like Deidara-sempai—they were in love. But about a year ago, Sasori died," Tobi answered. "Deidara-sempai never got over his death and last week when he saw Gaara's picture in the newspaper, he became obsessed with him. You see, Gaara looks a lot like Sasori and he's even an artist, and in a few days, it'll be the one year anniversary of Sasori's death…" Tobi trailed off as he let the implications of his words sink into the two men.

"You have to talk to him," Tobi told Gaara. "Pretend that you're Sasori and tell him to let you go." Neji gritted his teeth at his suggestion, but kept his mouth shut. He was right; it was the quickest way to end this without hurting the emotional blonde. Though he wanted to pry Deidara off of him, he knew Gaara wouldn't let him interfere. If he tried to help, he would only end up setting the red-head off, and things would just get worse. But he wouldn't stand idly by either. If Gaara didn't get the blonde to let go of him soon, he would take action.

Gaara shut his eyes as he tried to keep his mind level. He slowly unclenched his hands, and took a deep breathe before he looked down at blonde.

"Deidara. Stop this," he said in a cold and serious tone.

Deidara slowly lifted his tear-streaked face, so that every heart-wrenching stab of pain reflected off his blue eyes. Gaara knew that pain, a pain so great that it seemed death would be a preferable choice rather than to endure another moment of it. Having known it, felt it, Gaara could do nothing but feel pity for the man.

"Let go of me," Gaara tried again in a warmer tone.

"I don't want to be alone again," Deidara told him as his blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears. It was all Gaara could do to keep his eyes on him. It reminded him so much of himself that it actually hurt.

"I love you Sasori," the blonde whispered up at him, which had Gaara immediately recoiling back. Everyone knew it was a taboo word around him. He knew he could never be loved; it was fact. Neji had convinced him of it when he left him in that cage and told him he never loved him. As his thoughts shifted to the Hyuuga, Gaara eyes subconsciously sought the other male and for a moment, a heartbroken teal clashed with worried lavender. The moment was short-lived, and in an instant, it was gone as Gaara began to lose himself to the darkness of his mind.

He clutched his head in pain as images from his nightmares attacked him with a vengeance. Nightmares of his father yelling at him, disgusted with him, telling him that he could never be loved. Nightmares of his dead mother screaming at him for killing her, shrieking her abhorrence of him at the top of her lungs, while her red-eyes bore into his own frightened one's with bitter hatred. Nightmares of his siblings shouting their hatred of him for taking away both their mother and father; it was all his fault. He didn't deserve love, he never did.

"Don't you love me Sasori?" Deidara asked him in a fearful voice. "Why aren't you answering me?!" the blonde yelled in panic, looking up at him in desperation, willing him to tell him what he wanted to hear.

At his words, Gaara's already broken heart broke just a little more. For the first time in his life, someone other than his siblings, had told him that they loved him, yet the only reason they had said it was because they thought he was someone else. How befitting.

"Gaara, tell you him you love him," Tobi intruded as he grew worried for his sempai. "He just needs reassurance," he told him.

Gaara looked into Deidara's pleading eyes as another rush of memories hit his already fragile mind at full force. Memories of Neji's last words to him, his abandonment. Neji had taught him once in for all that he could never be loved. A demon can't be loved. Hadn't his father taught him that as a child? Wasn't a childhood of living in a constant darkness enough to teach him that? It had taken Neji's harsh words to finally get it thorough his head, yet he still couldn't help but wonder that he'd suffered enough already.

So, why wouldn't the pain go away?

"…no…" Gaara whispered. "No. _NO!! __**NO!!!**_" he screamed; desperately struggling in the blonde's hold as the darkness came crashing through his mental defenses; wiping almost every mental wall he had put up like they were made of soft dirt.

"_**I'M NOT SASORI, AND I DON'T LOVE YOU!"**_ he screamed down at Deidara as tears began to fall from his teal eyes. God, he never thought it would hurt this much to have someone tell him those words, and now he was drowning in the dark waters of his mind. He couldn't breathe.

Within moments, Neji was at his side. Using a move Genma had taught him as a teen to pry off an attacker, Neji hit Deidara with the side of his hand where his neck and spine met instantly knocking him out cold. Tobi barely managed to catch his unconscious form as the blonde crumpled to the ground.

Neji paid no head to the two as he pulled Gaara into his arms, burying his face in his crimson locks.

"Don't touch me!" Gaara shouted as he threw Neji off of him.

"_I HATE -_

_"__**I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!!!"**_ he screamed with all the malice he could muster as he ran out of the balcony; tears falling from his heartbroken eyes.

Neji immediately went after him. He couldn't stand the sight of Gaara crying, it was like a stab to his heart. He needed to talk to him, explain things. He needed to fix things once and for all.

Gaara ran straight through the gallery's back exit with Neji at his heels. No one saw the two depart since the back of the gallery was devoid of any guests.

"Gaara!" Neji yelled once they were in the deserted hallway, far from any guests.

Gaara paid no head to his words and kept running, a steady stream of tears falling from his eyes the entire time. He needed to get away from Neji; it hurt him too much to be anywhere near him. He was barely keeping himself together.

The darkness had broken through his defenses, and it was becoming difficult to distinguish between his nightmares and reality.

* * *

Neji was getting frustrated. At this rate, it would be hours before he got to explain things. Seeing Kakashi's office up ahead, he came up with a plan. Picking up his pace, Neji waited 'til he got close enough to the other before tackling him from behind, sending them both crashing to the floor. 

Within moments he was back on his feet and quickly threw open the door to Kakashi's office. When he turned around, he barely managed to catch Gaara before the other got back up, and with one swift pull, he threw the red-head inside the deserted office; slamming the door and locking it behind him.

"Now listen to me," Neji told him as he caught his breath. "We need to talk, and weather you like it or not, you're going to listen. So, we can either do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Either way, I will have my say," he told him.

At his words, Gaara's last few mental defenses shattered under the incessant pounding of the dark waters of his mind. He lost control.

Solemn emotions did a 180, and heartache turned into rage, and rage into fury. Wiping the remaining tears from his eyes, Gaara tackled the Hyuuga; determined to beat the living shit out of him. He wanted—needed—to hurt him just like he'd been hurt all those years ago. Mind no longer suppressed, he fought the Hyuuga; determined to make him bleed.

The two wrestled on the ground, each trying to overpower the other, a feat that was easier said than done. Throughout their series of kicks and punches, Neji's hair tie got lost, spilling his hair all over the two, not that either noticed as one tried to parry the rain of blows the other dished out. Gaara's body moved on its own, delivering blow after blow with the ferocity of a wildcat; it was instinct and nothing more.

Neji on the other hand, moved with a grace born of experience and years of training. He was on the defensive, parrying blow after blow and taking others that he couldn't avoid. However, a punch here, an elbow there, and a well-timed kick over there, gave Neji a momentary advantage that he didn't waste. He barely managed to pin down one of Gaara's arms when the red-head slammed his other fist into his face and shoved him off. Within seconds, Gaara was on top of him, but Neji quickly reversed their positions before the red-head could inflict any damage.

"Stop struggling," Neji growled as he tried to restrain the male underneath him. His words only pissed off the other even more than he already was and in retaliation Gaara kneed him.

"Fuck!" Neji yelled; tightly shutting his eyes as pain exploded through his entire body. He lost his hold on Gaara and rolled to the side, curling in on himself; gritting his teeth together as the pain pulsed through his body.

Gaara didn't waste his time, and was on top of him within seconds. "You fucken bastard. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Gaara shouted as he delivered a powerful punch after every statement. Neji, moving with a great amount of pain, managed to block the last blow, which only enraged the red-head even more. Tearing off the turtle-neck the Hyuuga had on, Gaara squeezed Neji's now exposed throat with all his might. The only thing in his mind as he choked the Hyuuga was how much he needed to make the other hurt, if only for a moment.

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you," Gaara chanted as his entire being focused on hurting the male beneath him, it was the only thing keeping him from being swallowed up by the darkness.

Neji was struggling underneath the red-head, desperately trying to throw the other off of him. He knew he couldn't win against Gaara in a contest of strength. Gaara was just too strong. But, he still had his training, and in a last attempt to get him off, Neji simultaneously hit two vital nerves on his side just below the red-head's arms. Gaara immediately lost his hold on him as his hands became limp as the nerves supplying blood to his arms were momentarily closed off. Neji instantly threw him off and rolled to the side, coughing the entire time as he tried to regain his breath. The tecniquehe had used on Gaara would only work for a minute, after which, the red-head would regain his strength, so he needed to restrain him before that happened.

Ignoring the pain shooting through his body with every step he took thanks to Gaara's earlier knee to his crotch, Neji picked himself up and grabbed the red-head's arm, literally throwing him on the oak desk nearby, sending papers and other decorations scattering to the floor. Neji disregarded the grunt of pain that emitted from Gaara throat as his back hit the desk, and quickly pinned his arms above his head as he placed one leg between the red-head's own, effectively pinning his lower body to the desk.

A very pissed off Neji tightened his hold on Gaara's hands as he tried to ignore the throbbing pain between his legs. He couldn't believe that Gaara had resorted to such a low tactic, or that he'd actually been careless enough to allow him such an opening.

"Are you done -" Neji growled down at him as he leaned in, mere centimeters from his face. "Or, do I need to tie you down?" he warned, clearly -illing to do just that if the other didn't stop his struggles.

Teals eyes glared up at him and without warning Gaara slammed his head into Neji's own, drawing blood.

By sheer will alone, Neji managed to keep his hold on him as his vision exploded in a flash of white light, sending a string of curses from his mouth.

Unsurprisingly, Gaara used the opportunity to try and throw him off, but Neji kept him in place as he tried to ignore the splitting headache that had erupted at the head-butt. In an effort to restrain the male underneath him, Neji practically meshed their bodies together as he waited for the pain in his head and groin to recede.

"Get the fuck off me asshole," Gaara yelled as he squirmed underneath him; desperately trying to shove him off. Neji was too close. Way too close. There were too many sensations. His body wasn't used to any form of touch, yet Neji was practically engulfing him with his body. It was too much for his senses.

His mind was being overwhelmed, teetering on the edge of a major mental breakdown.

Neji's close proximity brought back every heart-wrenching feeling he had felt five years ago. He couldn't go back there; he couldn't. He didn't want to return to the dark waters of his mind. He was sure he would lose himself in the dark abyss. This time, he wouldn't make it; he would drown in the darkness.

"Gaara," Neji breathed out, having somewhat recovered from the last two blows the other had given him.

"Stop struggling," he said in a hoarse voice as he tried to ignore the feeling of Gaara's squirming body pinned underneath his own. In his struggles, Gaara was rubbing up against him, replacing the pain in his groin with white hot pleasure.

"Gaara, stop," Neji bit back a moan as his breathing sped up. He shut his eyes as a flood of pleasure rushed through his system.

Gaara stiffened instantly, stilling all movement.

Neji opened his eyes at the other's unexpected action, and found wide teal eyes staring back at him in utter shock.

It took Neji's muddled brain a few seconds to register what had happened, but when he finally figured out what had caused Gaara's unexpected stillness, his own eyes widen in surprise.

His erection was digging into Gaara's thigh.

Neji immediately jumped back and let go of him. Gaara didn't move; he simply stayed where he was as memories he had thought he buried long ago assaulted his mind.

**FLASHBACK**

_"Gaara it's over. I no longer have any ties with you." _

_It took Gaara's fear-gripped brain a second in order to process what Neji told him, but once he did, he felt a resounding pain rip through his heart. _

_Too shocked with Neji's words, Gaara said nothing. The long-haired male used this pause to continue on. "I only wanted your body, nothing else," he cruelly said…_

_Hearing Neji's words almost broke the red-head, but he managed to get a few words out. "Why…Why? Neji why did you…you…I thought you truly cared…," he hoarsely stuttered out. _

_"You were wrong. I never cared about you. I only wanted you to warm my bed."_

_"I-I-I need you…I-I-I'm in the darkness," his voice hitched from his panic. He could feel as the walls of the cell slowly enclose around him; he was dangerously close to losing his mind. _**"I'm back in the cell!"** _he screamed in his mind, but Neji could not read his thoughts. _

_…"Find someone who cares, Sabaku. I'm no longer interested in you. I never loved you."_

**END FLASHBACK**

"Gaara, are you okay?" Neji stepped closer to him, worried that he hadn't moved an inch since he had let go of him.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you were moving underneath me, and my body just…" Neji trailed off as Gaara ever so slowly shifted his eyes to him.

"That's what you wanted from the start, didn't you," he murmured up at him; eyes a little dulled at his findings.

"What do you mean?" he asked him; suspicion in his eyes.

"If I give you what you want, will you leave me alone?" Gaara whispered. His mind was on the verge of shattering once again and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it this time. He was tired. Tired of fighting for every moment of peace, tired of going through the motions of life as he kept his broken heart caged behind iron bars, too afraid to open up to anyone for fear of feeling the pain of heartache once again. He was tired of fighting, so instead of fighting what was inevitable, like he had always done, he simply gave in.

Neji noticed the change in his eyes as he spoke. They were no longer filled with the raw emotion from before, instead they're we're dull and lifeless.

"What is it that you think I want?"

Gaara looked up at him with cold eyes. "Sex . . . that's what you said...back then."

Neji regarded him with cold eyes. Suddenly, he punched Gaara hard enough to hear a resounding echo throughout the room. Gaara made no move to retaliate, which only infuriated Neji so that he roughly grabbed the shorter male and yanked him to him so that they were face to face.

"This is exactly why I need to talk to you," he exploded.

Gaara said nothing and remained still. Determined to have his say, Neji began to explain to him what actually happened five years ago. Throughout his entire explanation, Gaara dull eyes slowly began to spark back to life.

"If I had known where you were, or in what condition you were in, I would never have left you," Neji finished, tears falling from his lavender, desperate to make him understand.

"You might not believe me, but it was hard for me to tell you what I did because I loved you. I still do," Neji told him as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Gaara's softer ones, tenderly cupping his cheek with his hand.

Gaara immediately pushed him away. His mind was on overdrive as it tried to digest everything Neji had told him. It was too much. He couldn't sort through it all; his mind was cracking under the pressure.

In a desperate move to keep his mind stable, Gaara shut his eyes, and clung to the one truth he knew to be true.

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you," he yelled as he hit Neji's chest with blows ten times weaker than he had delivered earlier. He was desperate to convince himself that he hated the Hyuuga. It had been the one truth he had known for the past five years and if he could keep that intact, then he could keep his mind from collapsing.

Neji grabbed Gaara and pulled him into his arms. Holding on to him as Gaara sobbed into his chest.

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you," he repeated over and over like a mantra.

"That's okay," Neji whispered into his ear. "I love you all the same, even if you do hate me, I'll still love you," he told him as he held him a little tighter. For the first time in five years, Neji held Gaara in his arms. He didn't want to let go of him for fear that it would be the last time he would have the opportunity.

Gaara words of hatred clashed with Neji's words of love. The two clung to each other; Neji rubbing soothing circles on Gaara's back murmuring words of love and devotion, while the red-head clung to him, repeating his words of hatred.

Pretty soon, Gaara's words became a soft whisper; then they were barely audible, until they stopped altogether. For a while he remained in the soft embrace, listening to Neji's words of comfort and love. Neither wanted to move, but they knew this moment couldn't last forever.

Eventually Gaara extracted himself from the Hyuuga's warm embrace. Neji reluctantly let him go and the two stood in the room, looking at one another.

Though he didn't want to break the silence, Neji had to ask, "Do you hate me?"

After a minute of silence, Gaara answered.

"…no."

A rush of relief shot through Neji's system, and he let go of the breath he hadn't even know he'd been holding. But his relief was short-lived.

"But I don't love you either," Gaara continued as he kept his teal eyes on Neji's lavender ones. "And I can't allow you in my life again. It hurt too much last time," he murmured.

Neji stiffened at his words, and felt a resounding pain rip across his chest. His heart was breaking.

"If that's what you want, then I won't intrude in your life again," he hiccupped, barely managing to keep his voice from breaking as his eyes watered with unshed tears. His heart was bleeding tears of blood.

"I hope you find happiness," his voice hitched as he came perilously close to breaking down. He couldn't hold his composure for long.

Gaara remained strong, and kept himself together as he watched Neji walk away from him. He closed his heart to the Hyuuga's hitching shoulders as Neji tried to suppress his tears of heartache.

Neji never looked back as he walked away from Gaara's life. He was sure he would break down in sobs if he saw his love one last time. As it was, he had already lost the fight against the rush of tears that fell from his eyes like a waterfall, and was having trouble keeping his breathing under a semblance of control.

The Hyuuga barely reached his car, when his worried uncle caught sight of him. Seeing the heartbroken state he was in, Hiashi immediately pulled his nephew into his arms. The embrace was too much for the emotional Hyuuga and he lost control. Neji fell apart and broke out in heart-wrenching sobs as he clung to his uncle, feeling his heart breaking.

* * *

Ummm . . . please don't hurt me. 

Yes, I ended it there. I know I hurt them both, but you can't just expect Gaara to take him back, nor forget about the last five years of suffering just because Neji explained what really happened. They needed to put an end to the past, which they did. They can finally begin to bury the past, and begin anew. Emotions will bloom from the ashes.

Okay, here's the deal with Deidara. He doesn't feel anything for Gaara. The only reason he was all over him was because Gaara reminded him so much of Sasori, and it being so close to the first anniversary of Sasori's death, which he still hadn't fully gotten over, kind of made him a little unstable. His behavior in this chapter is a one time deal. Rest assured that he will not be so angsty in later chapters. Even though it might be very obvious I still want to point out that Deidara will definitely not end up with Gaara, which leads me to my second question: Who do you think Dei will end up with? Believe me, you'll never guess!

And for all you SasoXDei fans—I'm sorry I killed off Sasori. I'm a huge SasoXDei fan myself, which is actually the reason I had to kill him off. If I introduced Sasori then there was no way that I could pair Dei with anyone else. It would be just wrong. However, without Sasori in the picture, then Dei really does become the wild card.

On another note, I wanted to include other glass sculptures in this chapter, but the chapter was already getting too long. But I will be introducing other glass sculptures throughout the fic.

If you would like to see a picture of the glass sculptures I mentioned in this chapter, then just go to my profile I'll have them posted up for anyone who wants to check them out. The links will be under the names: **"Dress Impressions"**, and **"Sea Forms"**.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

The next chapter will be 2 or 3 months later, I still haven't decided. The core of the chapter will revolve around Neji and Gaara with a few updates, and introductions on other characters.

Okay, in the next chapter, Neji asks about his parent's death, but Hiashi is reluctant to tell him the truth. After having Neji break down in front of him, he doesn't want his nephew to suffer anymore. The circumstances of his parent's death are too close to home. Let's just say, that Neji made their deaths meaningless. Hiashi knows that Neji will not take the news well, which he doesn't. Neji is a complete wreck and leaves the mansion. Hiashi sends Genma's old teammate after him. Hiashi then seeks out Gaara and asks him to talk to Neji . . . .

I'm not quite sure if I should make the next chapter either a lemon or a lime, so I've decided to ask you guys what you'd prefer. I'll write whichever you like, so just tell me what you would like.

Thanks for reading. I hoped you liked this chapter.

All reviews are welcome. Thanks. 'Til next time. ;)


	6. Transformations

A/N: The chapter is set one month later after Gaara's art show. Neither Neji nor Gaara have seen each other in that time. Also, there seems to be some confusion about the Hyuuga medication. If you remember, at the end of Chapter 1: "Time", I wrote a few notes on the Hyuuga virus as well as the medication they have available.

1) The Hyuuga virus: the first symptom of the virus is a curse seal that appears on a Hyuuga's forehead. The seal is a warning device that informs a Hyuuga that they need to take the antidote soon. If a Hyuuga does not take the antidote their body will slowly be overcome with torturous pain until they can't move. This painful symptom can be slowed down by taking the pills but once it begins nothing but the antidote will be able to stop it. However, if a Hyuuga does not take the antidote their body will slowly shut down and they will eventually die a painful death.

2) The pills: extends the time intervals in which a Hyuuga needs to take the shot, which is referred to as the antidote. If a Hyuuga does not take their medication (the pills), then the time interval for their next shot is shortened.

3) The antidote: is the shot that a Hyuuga must receive usually every four months—if they take the required pills, without the pills the time interval between every shot shortens considerably. The so-called antidote merely prevents an individual from dying of the virus. It is not a cure.

Disclaimer: If I could have any Naruto character, I would take Gaara in a blink of an eye…Why, you may ask? Well, it's very simple. If I take Gaara, then Neji would have no choice but to follow his little red-head and then I'd have them both (laughs evilly)…but, and sadly there is a but, I can't have any Naruto characters because they belong to their creator, who loves to tease us yaoi fan-girls with his platonic bull crap…platonic love my ass, everyone knows half those guys are in love with each other, and don't even get me started with Sasuke and Naruto because that would just take all day.

* * *

_**Transformations**_

_1 month later_

"I will accept your proposal, but with a few minor changes," Naruto told Sasuke in a voice that left no room for negotiation. He had made up his mind and would accept nothing less than what he wanted. If the Uchiha had a problem with his changes, then the arrogant bastard could stuff the contract up his ass for all he cared.

Handing the 20 page contract to Sasuke, Naruto crossed his arms and waited for the Uchiha's response.

In any other situation Sasuke would have asked for a few days so he could thoroughly look over the changes, but it had already taken the Uchiha two months to get an answer from the blonde business man in front of him. He didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted this deal over and done with so he could get the hell out of Konoha. Besides, when Naruto said he had only made a few changes, he wasn't lying. There was only one major change that he could find in the entire contract, and he couldn't say that he was surprised.

Naruto wanted _**Uchiha Enterprises**_ to inform _**Advocate**_ anytime they wished to use their resources, and if a valid reason was raised _**Advocate**_ would have the power to deny _**Uchiha Enterprises**_ access to said resources. Of course, the same rules would apply to _**Advocate**_, if the company wanted to use _**Uchiha Enterprises**_ resources. When it came down to it, Naruto wanted to have the power to monitor _**Uchiha Enterprises **_actions anytime they used_**Advocate's**_ resources.

Sasuke could respect such a change. "Once you have a fresh copy of this contract, contact my secretary and I'll come and sign it," Sasuke told him fifteen minutes later.

"There's no need. I already have a fresh copy here. All we need to do is sign it," Naruto informed him as he gestured to Sumaru to bring over a fresh copy of the contract that contained all of Naruto's changes.

"Here you are," Sumaru said as he handed Naruto two copies of the contract.

Naruto thanked his secretary and looked at Sasuke in expectation.

"You knew I would accept the changes," Sasuke stated trying to hide the anger he felt toward the blonde for reading him so accurately. However, Naruto saw the flare of anger in his eyes. He could always read Sasuke through his eyes, it was a talent he had since they were kids.

"Are you going to sign it or not Uchiha?" Naruto drawled which only added to the Uchiha's already fowl mood, but the raven didn't react to the blonde's obvious ploy to get him angry; instead he reached for the contract and signed it.

He had gotten what he wanted; there was no need for him to get mad.

* * *

_1 week later_

"Come on, Juugo," yelled an irritated Suigetsu, as he watched the taller man gaze up at the sky. "Sasuke said he wanted us to arrive by 6 o'clock, and it's already past 5: 30 pm. If we don't hurry up, we're going to be late."

Hearing Suigetsu's words, Juugo took one last look at the peaceful blue sky before picking up his luggage and heading for the limo their ward had sent for them.

"About time," Suigetsu muttered once the taller man entered the stylish limo.

Juugo said nothing, which only irritated the smaller man even more. He hated the calm and serene aura the other bodyguard constantly carried with him. For God sake they were trained killers! Killers weren't supposed to exude any form of serenity, especially someone like Juugo. The man had killed more people than he could count.

Seeing the clear contentment on Juugo's face further annoyed Suigetsu, and in an attempt to shatter the other guard's calm façade, he brought up the one subject that always managed to burst the other guard's bubble of tranquility.

"You do realize that you'll have to choose between Sasuke and Kimimaro don't you?" Suigetsu told him as his face broke out in an evil grin.

"I know," was all Juugo said as he watched the blue sky from the limo's window.

"If you choose that spy over your own ward, I swear I'll kill you without a moment's hesitation," Suigetsu warned; mirth shining off his cold eyes as he imagined the feeling of killing a member of such an illustrious clan as the one Juugo belonged to.

"You can try," the other quietly responded, not even batting an eyelash at the blatant threat.

Irritated at the man's calmness when he was threatening his life, Suigetsu ignored him for the rest of the trip to Sasuke's hotel.

It was a well known fact that Orochimaru had given Sasuke his own personal bodyguard, but as many had figured out, it wasn't out of the goodness of his cold heart. No, Orochimaru wanted someone to spy on the Uchiha for him, and who better than Sasuke's own personal guard?

Kabuto took Kimimaro's place as Orochimaru personal guard, and Kimimaro became Sasuke's guard. Sasuke, not one to tolerate such a blatant intrusion in his personal matters, found himself two other guards, and interchanged the three periodically. Of course, Sasuke only used either Juugo or Suigetsu for matters that he did not want Orochimaru to find out about, and used Kimimaro for other "public" matters.

Sasuke made Suigetsu his guard because he needed someone whose loyalty would be unquestionable. Suigetsu, coming from a long line of guards that were eternally loyal to the Uchiha Clan, had fit the bill perfectly. Itachi's own personal guard, Kisame, had come from the same family. Like Kisame, Suigetsu was a genius at killing.

Juugo on the other hand had been _acquired_ rather than chosen. A few months after Sasuke had made Suigetsu one of his personal guards; Juugo showed up out of the blue and asked the Uchiha if he could become his personal guard as well. It seemed he and Kimimaro had known each other ever since they were children, and not wanting to lose that friendship, Juugo had decided to make Kimimaro's ward his own, that way, the two would have the same goal: protect Uchiha Sasuke.

The only reason Sasuke added Juugo to his guard was because the male was a direct descendant from an ancient family of assassin's. To put it simply, he was the best, and once a member of that family gave their allegiance to their ward, they would forever be loyal to that person.

Juugo had spoken to Sasuke in private and had given his allegiance to the Uchiha before he ever spoke to Kimimaro, so it came as a great shock to him when he learned that Kimimaro's true allegiance belonged to Orochimaru.

Up until now, the subject of Juugo's loyalty hadn't been much of a problem since Kimimaro had only been spying on Sasuke; however, that all changed a few days ago. All either guard knew was that Sasuke wanted them in Konoha as soon as possible.

Kimimaro had become a threat.

* * *

"Neji, we've been over this already," a serious Hiashi told his nephew. "I will speak to you about your parent's deaths when I deem it appropriate. Until then, please respect my wishes and do not ask me again."

That being said Hiashi opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a few important documents he had brought with him from work; effectively ending the discussion.

Normally, Neji would never be so persistent, but this was important. He couldn't just let it go.

"No, Uncle," pale lavender eyes hardened as they took in the form of the older man in front of him. "It is you who must respect _**my**_ wishes. I have every right to ask about my parent's deaths, and as my father's brother, you are obligated to tell me the truth."

Genma, who was standing at attention near the door, flicked his eyes toward Hiashi, awaiting any orders his ward might give him. He was well aware of Hiashi's reluctance to reveal the exact circumstances of Hizashi's and his wife's death. He knew that no matter what way he phrased it, Neji would be devastated.

Knowing that he had no real justification to keep the truth from his nephew made the usual firm Hyuuga falter, and eventually Hiashi sighed as he gave in. Carefully placing the papers he was holding aside, he looked up at his brother's son.

"Sit down please," he gestured to the chair facing his desk, and watched as Neji hesitated for a moment before taking the offered seat.

"You must remember that we, the Hyuuga Clan, are a very old and conservative Clan. We do not welcome change with open arms, nor do we tolerate any threats to our way of life. We are bound by tradition, which is why we are still split by titles such as the Main House and the Branch House."

"I understand the dynamics of the Clan perfectly well," was all Neji said. He didn't need a lesson on the Clan's history nor its politics. As a member of the Branch House, he knew them all too well.

Hiashi inclined his head in acknowledgement. "As you know, at the time of your mother's death she was flying home from a business trip when she lost control of the private jet she was piloting and crashed into one of the deserts of Australia. Though she survived the crash, she was bleeding profusely from her wounds, and her legs were pinned underneath a metal plate that had been torn from the cockpit during the crash. We immediately received word of her condition, but were unable to immediately retrieve her, and by the time the rescue team reached her, she was already dead . . . However, that is merely the official story we told the media, it is not the entire truth."

"What do you mean?" Neji slowly asked him, suspicion coating his words.

"Neji, your mother was a great pilot. She had been flying small aircrafts ever since she was a small girl. She did not lose control of that plane," he explained.

"Then how did her plane crash," Neji snapped out. He was growing angry with Hiashi's evasiveness.

"She was shot down."

Hiashi watched as confusion lit up his nephew's face and continued on before Neji snapped at him again.

"The Hyuuga Clan is a very powerful clan, and as such, we have many enemies around the world; enemies who have no qualms about shooting down a defenseless airplane. While your mother was flying over the desert of Australia, she was shot down by one of our many enemies, to this day, we still have no idea who was responsible," he told him as he wearily watched Neji clench and unclench his hand as his anger came to a boiling point.

"MY MOTHER DIED FOR SUCH A REASON!" Neji roared; pain ripping through his heart. His uncle had confirmed what he has always believed—his mother had died for the Hyuuga Clan. That bloody Clan that had taken away his father, the Clan that had justified infecting a small child with a deadly virus—the Clan that caged him and clipped his wings as soon as he was born.

"Why did you wait an entire day before sending out the rescue team? Why did you let her die?" he yelled at his uncle as he clenched his hands on either side of the leather armrest in an attempt to control his boiling rage.

Emotionless eyes stared at Neji as the older Hyuuga regarded him with sorrowful eyes. "I did not let her die, Neji. Your mother killed herself."

Lavender eyes widen for a shock-filled second before a storm of emotions flashed through them. _**"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE KILLED HERSELF!?" **_Neji shot out of his chair and slammed his fists on the oak desk as his rage-filled eyes bore into Hiashi's calm lavender orbs.

Genma was now standing a foot behind the emotional Hyuuga; he was ready to interfere should Neji let his emotions overtake him.

"Neji," his uncle said in a calm voice, "the reason you mother survived the crash was because the enemies who were after her did not want to kill her. They purposely shot the plane's tail end when your mother was low to the ground in order to better secure their chances of her survival. You see, their purpose was not to kill her—they wanted a hostage. Like all Hyuuga members, she understood that she could not be captured alive. She understood that our enemies could potentially discover the virus inside of her and use it against us. Knowing that, she took her own life. She did not want to become the seed to her family's—**her child's**—destruction."

Hiashi carefully watched his nephew for any signs that would give away his thoughts, but Neji had lowered his head at his last words. The dark brown hair spilled across his features effectively covering his face from his eyes.

He could not read him.

"My father… what about my father?" Neji quietly asked behind his curtain of hair, never looking up.

"Maybe it would be best if—"

"Please," he whispered as his wavering voice strained to get that one word out. And that's when Hiashi saw the tear drop that splashed on his desk. The lone tear was soon accompanied by another and another and another still.

The Hiashi did not need to see his nephew's face in order to figure out his thoughts. He could see the evidence of them clearly spilling on his desk.

"Why was he in that warehouse? … why did he die? …why?" Neji choked out as he remembered the video of his father's last moments and soon came to the painful conclusion.

**FLASHBACK**

"_I will need to test the antidote in order to make sure it's real," Hizashi stated._

"Antidote?" Neji murmured in confusion. "Does he mean—"

"_It wasn't tampered with after it was stolen, the seal was not broken," the other man said, as if insulted that the Hyuuga thought he had actually tampered with the vial._

_Hizashi merely gave him a blank stare. He was not concerned weather it was tampered with or not. All he cared about was weather or not all the antidote was there. They couldn't have someone outside of the Hyuuga family with a sample of their most precious secret._

"_It seems all the money is here," the other said as he closed the briefcase, making sure to lock it before he walked away._

_Confirming that the seal was indeed unbroken, Hizashi let the other go. No sample had been taken._

_Too busy placing the antidote back into the briefcase; Hizashi didn't hear the parting words of the unknown male. _However, Neji heard every word.

"_Why would I tamper with the damn antidote, when it's you we want dead," the stranger murmured to himself._

"Get out. Get out. Get out," Neji began to chant as his eyes filled with unshed tears and his hands trembled with fright for his father. "Leave," he whispered as a tear ran down his left cheek.

_He felt another tear fall as he watched his father begin to lock the briefcase, and with the click of the lock the metal briefcase exploded in a flash of light leaving nothing but ashes where mere moments ago Hizashi stood._

**END FLASHBACK**

"D-Did my father die to protect the Hyuuga antidote?" he softly asked as he lifted his face so that his opaque irises locked onto the pale lavender of his uncle's eyes.

Hiashi nodded.

That was all he needed to know. His uncle confirmed what he has just come to realize: his mother and father had died in order to keep the secret of the Hyuuga virus from their enemies, while he—_**their child**_—had voluntarily given away those precious secrets, and had even helped expand the information. He had done all this without a second thought. Even though he had been hurt and confused, the facts remained the same.

He had made their deaths meaningless.

He had betrayed them.

* * *

Gaara dragged his sorry butt to his soft sofa and let himself fall on it. He was exhausted. He had been working on his sculptures for the past week, and today was no different. He had spent practically the entire day in his studio which consisted of a large furnace, his gourd filled with the best sand that money could buy and his various tools and chemicals.

All Gaara wanted now was to eat something and crash on his soft bed.

Ever since his encounter with Neji one month ago, Gaara had shut himself away from society including his friends and family. He let his work completely consume him and only surfaced every now and then when he could not longer ignore the pleas of his body for both food and rest.

At the moment Gaara was at his breaking point. He needed to eat and sleep soon. No matter how stubborn he might be, he knew that his body's demands would eventually win. He had gone through the same routine for the last month: he would work and work, barely listening to his body's demands, and then he would simply crash for one or two days, and this time was no different. His body had won again.

RING! RING! RING!

Gaara glared at the loud device. It sounded like a shrieking Banshee!

RING! RING! RING!

Gaara's eye twitched. Grumbling all the while, he got up and answered his cell phone.

"What." Gaara answered in a displeased tone.

"…"

Surprised by Gaara's greeting, the caller on the other line made no sound for a few seconds. However, the speaker quickly recovered.

"Hello. I presume this is Gaara Sabaku?" the speaker asked.

"This is he. Who is this?" he asked in a terse voice thinking the speaker to be a reporter. Ever since his big debut he had received dozens of calls from those snakes. He had hung up on all of them as soon as he confirmed his suspicions. He could always recognize them—they always wanted something from him.

"This is Hyuuga Hiashi. I need to talk to you about my nephew, Neji."

* * *

From his condo, Sai watched as the people on the streets below pulled out their umbrellas as the clouds above spilled a barrage of rain drops on those unfortunate enough to be outside.

Sai sighed as he continued to watch the people outside. He saw as they scrambled to whatever destination had them out on such a day, and couldn't help but feel a little pang of envy—they had somewhere to go, something to do, someone waiting for them… while he had nothing.

His meetings were over for the day and he had the rest of his evening free; a rare thing indeed. But he had nothing to do, nowhere to be. He had no family with whom to talk with, nor did he have any friends to share a lonely evening with. All he really had was his bodyguard which was not the same.

Not even close.

As he stared out his window a flash of lightning ripped through the sky illuminating the people below. One person in particular caught his attention. The man had no umbrella to speak of, yet he walked though the streets as if he had no important destination in mind; as if he had nowhere to be—like him.

Another flash of light, and Sai blinked in recognition.

"Oh."

It was Kimimaro.

Without a second thought, Sai jumped up from his seat next to the window and ran out of his warm condo heading out into the cold rain without so much as an umbrella or jacket, and running right beside him was Izumo, his loyal bodyguard who had no idea what had gotten into his ward.

Izumo had been watching him for about an hour as he silently sat by the window looking at the world outside. It was a familiar scene to him so he didn't pay much heed to his ward, so it came as a big surprise when Sai all of a sudden ran out of the condo and into the pouring rain.

Sai kept on running in the direction he'd seen Kimimaro take, and was soon rewarded for his efforts. Up ahead, walked a lone male, who, much like himself, had neither a jacket nor umbrella to protect him from the elements. However, Izumo also noticed the out of place male up ahead and as soon as he recognized the other bodyguard he caught Sai's arm.

"Let go of me." Sai spoke in a displeased tone.

"My duty is to protect you, and he has already harmed you once. I will not let you near him again," Izumo told him as he looked over Sai's shoulders; his eyes locked on someone up ahead.

Sai immediately followed his gaze and came across a white-haired male standing in the rain.

Kimimaro's emotionless sky blue eyes were locked on Izumo, but as soon as he noticed Sai's movement his eyes flicked to him.

"Let go," Sai told him once more. It was an order.

Reluctantly, Izumo relinquished his hold on his ward.

Kimimaro watched the entire scene in silence, and kept his eyes on Sai as the younger male walked up to him—Izumo right behind him.

Coal black eyes locked onto his own as Sai stopped a few feet away from him.

Half an hour later, Kimimaro stood in the middle of Sai's living room watching said male dry his hair with a towel. He clutched his own towel in his hand, but did not use it. He had been so confused when he had run into the two males that he had allowed himself to be talked into going to Sai's apartment by said male. He needed to put his thoughts on something else other than what he had done and was using Sai for that purpose. The young business man always seemed to want his attention, so he gave it to him. Anything to stop his already morbid thoughts from escalating.

"Where were you going?" Sai asked him as he finished drying his wet hair. After he had practically dragged Kimimaro to his apartment using the weather as an excuse, Sai had felt a pang of joy blossom in his gut. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt true emotion, let alone joy, and all because a Kimimaro had accepted his invitation…well not accept per say. The point was he did not refuse him.

Sai stared at him. Kimimaro was a mystery to him, a mystery he wanted to solve. But not only that, he remembered the loneliness in those eyes when he had first met him; he remembered wanting to erase that loneliness. After that first meeting, Kimimaro had disappeared without a trace, and years later he had the fortune to meet him again, and this time he was not going to let him disappear so easily. He wanted to see some emotion in those sky blue eyes, something other than loneliness.

"Nowhere," the other answered.

At his words, Izumo eyes sharpened as he tightly clutched the towel his ward had given him to dry off. He did not trust the other male. He had already disarmed him, but he could do nothing else without justification. So, Izumo stayed near his ward making sure that he was between him and the other guard at all times. He could do nothing else but wait and bid his time. He would keep his eyes on the other bodyguard, one wrong move and he was dead.

Sai frowned at his short answer. He wanted to have a conversation with him, but he was making things difficult. "Why were you alone? Where's Sasuke?"

A good question thought Izumo.

"Dead. I killed him."

Before he could finish the sentence, Izumo had a loaded gun pointed at his heart, and had thrown Sai behind the leather sofa and out of harm's way.

"Sai. Get out of here. Now!" Izumo yelled never taking his eyes away from his enemy.

Kimimaro ignored Izumo. Instead, he stared at the leather sofa and watched as Sai pushed himself up. With the same emotionless eyes he always wore, he locked eyes with the younger male silently asking him what he would do now that he knew what he had done. He was very curious to know.

* * *

After leaving his uncle's house Neji headed to his haven; the waterfall. It was a secluded area in the mountains that he and his parents had stumbled upon one summer day. It had been their secret place that only the three of them knew about, at least that's what he liked to believe. It was the one place that he had truly felt happy, just him and his mother and father.

Sitting on the cold rock, drenched from head to toe, the brunette was far from happy. He was numb. He couldn't understand how his life had spiraled out of control so fast. Why was fate so cruel to him? If he had any tears left to spare he would have sobbed, but his heart had already spilled them all. He had none left to shed. All that remained was a deep loneliness and self loathing.

"You're going to get sick sitting out here in the rain Hyuuga."

That voice. He knew that voice.

Slowly, Neji turned his head around and stared at the last person he had expected to see.

Holding an umbrella in his right hand stood an impassive red-head.

"Gaara," he murmured in shock. "What are you doing here?"

The rain continued to pour while a shocked Neji waited for a response. Finally, Gaara answered. "Your uncle called me."

"My uncle? I don't understand." The rain continued to soak him, but Neji made no move to find shelter and remained where he was.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to get you out of the rain and into some dry clothes."

"We?"

"How do you think I found you Hyuuga?" Gaara told him as he gestured behind him with his free hand.

And that's when Neji noticed the person standing a little ways behind the red-head. It was Genma. He had been following him all along. However, at the moment that wasn't important.

Why would his uncle call Gaara especially after what happened between them? And why did Gaara come at all? From their last talk, if you could even call it that, Gaara had made it very clear that he didn't want Neji in his life. Yet here he was.

He didn't understand.

He didn't know what his uncle had said to him, but he was going to fix it. After all, they were his problems to deal with alone.

"I'm sorry my uncle asked you to get involved. I thank you for coming, but I'll deal with this on my own," Neji told him very formally before turning his attention back to the waterfall hoping that Gaara would get the point and leave. Though it had been a month since their last encounter, the wounds were still raw. He couldn't deal with him right now. With everything falling apart all around him, he couldn't deal with yet another emotional round with the red-head. It was too much.

Gaara stared at Neji's back in silence.

Oh, how he was tempted to leave him right then and there, but he knew he couldn't just leave the other in such a state. He was broken. He had seen it in his eyes. Instead of the usual pale lavender all he had seen was an opaque white that reflected a desolate winter. He hadn't lied when he had told Neji that he didn't love him, he didn't—at least that's what he told himself. But he didn't need to love him in order to feel for him as a human being, and right now Neji needed someone. His uncle has asked him to be that someone and he had accepted. He didn't know the details behind the Hyuuga's sudden emotional breakdown but he knew it was bad if it caused him this much grief.

So without preamble, Gaara tossed his umbrella to Genma, who easily caught it, and went to Neji. Without saying a thing, he scooped the Hyuuga up and carried him bridal style away from the small waterfall. As expected, Neji didn't take too kindly to his actions so that by the time he reached his waiting car he had long tossed Neji on his right shoulder which had the Hyuuga yelling obscenities as he struggled out of his hold. In the end, Neji stopped his ceaseless struggles—he knew Gaara wouldn't let him down until he wanted too.

"Umm… are you going to need my help?" Genma asked the red-head who had yet to put down his cargo.

Gaara merely shook his head, and Genma nodded before opening the door on the passenger side of Gaara's car. Tossing the umbrella in the back, Genma waved good-bye before getting into his own car and leaving Neji in Gaara's care.

"Are you going to put me down now?" Neji seethed from his position on the other's shoulder. It was damn right embarrassing to be manhandled in such a way especially by someone smaller than himself.

Gaara said nothing at the Hyuuga's tone, but he did put him down in the passenger seat, closing the door behind him.

"I could have gotten in by myself," Neji told him once they were on the road.

Again, Gaara said nothing which only added to Neji's prissy mood. He was cold, soaked to the bone, and in the car with the last person he wanted to be with right now. It was awkward being in the same car with the other, and Gaara didn't help with his silent attitude.

Ignoring the driver, Neji settled down for the silent ride to wherever Gaara was planning on taking him. He hoped he ruined his seats with all the water his clothes had soaked up. That would teach the red-head.

Ten minutes later they pulled up to a quaint cabin, and Neji couldn't be happier. He was freezing. Once he had settled down the cold had quickly seeped into his bones and his entire body began to shiver. Even Gaara's heater couldn't warm him up.

"Where are we?" Neji asked teeth clattering.

"At my house," he answered, noticing the Hyuuga's shaking form. Gaara stared at him._"He must be freezing by now," _he thought. "Come on, we both need to take a hot shower."

Neji nodded and followed him inside.

Half an hour later, Neji entered Gaara's kitchen after taking a long hot shower in his guest bedroom.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked observing the healthy pink tint of the Hyuuga's skin. It was an improvement from the deathly pale color from before.

"Yes. Thank you. And thank you for letting me borrow your brother's night clothes." Neji patted down the shirt he wore. It was a little too big for him, but he wasn't complaining. They were warm.

Gaara brushed off the Hyuuga's thanks and grabbed two bowls from the cupboard. He had taken a relatively short shower compared to Neji and had decided to make a bowl of soup for them both while waiting for the other to finish. Besides, he was starving. Right after he finished speaking with Hiashi, he had left his house in search of Neji, so he had yet to eat or sleep, and after the whole thing the Hyuuga, he was exhausted. He barely managed to suppress a yawn as he handed Neji a bowl of soup. He knew he would crash soon.

"You made this?" Neji asked him remembering the last and only time Gaara had cooked something for him. He was too astonished with the red-head's actions that he missed as Gaara rubbed away the sleep in his eyes.

"It's been five years Hyuuga. Besides, I warned you that I wasn't much of a cook," he told him also remembering the incident. It was before he and Neji had become friends. The Hyuuga had been sick, so he had taken him to his house since he had nowhere else to go. He left him in his room as he tried to heat up some soup for him. Well, to make a long story short, he burned the soup and left the kitchen a total mess in the process. He never claimed to be chef.

The two smiled at the fond memory and ate in silence as they remembered other nostalgic memories.

"You should dry your hair off," Gaara told him after the two finished eating.

"I didn't find a blow-dryer and I didn't want to look through your things."

"You can use the one Temari left here two months ago when she spent the night. It's in the guestroom bathroom in the second drawer," Gaara told him.

"Thank you. I'll be right back."

Gaara nodded and watched Neji leave the kitchen. Once he was alone he plopped down on his couch.

God, he was tired.

Pretty soon his eye lids started to droop down, and telling himself that he would only rest his eyes for a minute Gaara fell asleep, and that's how Neji found him.

"Gaara?"

No answer.

"If you were this tired, why didn't you let me know?" he softly admonished the sleeping male already knowing he wouldn't get an answer. For a minute Neji stared down at the sleeping red-head. _"He looks like a sleeping cherub,"_ he thought as he continued to gaze at the smaller male. Using his hand, he gently brushed away the scarlet hair to reveal the tattoo beneath.

Love.

He always wondered why Gaara chose _that_ Kanji. He had never asked him when they were dating figuring he could always ask later. Now he wished he had, he wished he had asked a lot more things. He hardly knew about Gaara's life before he came to Konoha. He never asked about his life back in Suna, or about his parents. But then again, Gaara never asked him any personal questions either. It seemed they both had their secrets.

"There's no use dwelling on the past," he murmured as he gently bent down and softly pressed his lips against Gaara's rosy ones. He didn't linger, and was pulling back within moments. It wouldn't do if Gaara woke up and found him kissing him while he was asleep.

Content with the small gesture of his affection, Neji gently scooped him up in his arms and carried him to his bed. He was going to put Gaara in his bed and leave afterwards. He was content that Gaara cared enough to seek him out. He wouldn't push for more.

Once he reached Gaara's bedroom he gently placed him on the bed. However, Gaara didn't let him go. The red-head had somehow wrapped his arms around his neck and snuggled into the warmth of his neck.

"_Well, this is awkward," _thought Neji as he tried to untangle himself from the red-head's grasp, which only made Gaara burrow further into the warmth of his body. Seeing that his efforts were futile, Neji gave up on unraveling himself from Gaara's warm embrace and instead decided to stay put for a bit until the red-head decided to loosen his hold on him, besides it wasn't like he was complaining at the contact.

He would only stay for a little while.

Neji settled down on the bed and smiled as Gaara drew closer to him, nestling into his arms. He was tired too. His body was exhausted after spilling so many tears. Thinking that taking a small nap before he left Gaara's house would be good for him, Neji pulled the red-head to him soaking in the warmth their bodies produced at the contact.

"Little imp," he whispered into the shell of Gaara's ear before falling into a comfortable slumber as he tenderly held his love in his arms.

As day turned into night, the moon slowly rose above the clouds spilling its warm beams on two figures soundly sleeping in a warm embrace.

* * *

_A few hours before_

DING-DONG!

"I'm getting pissed!" Suigetsu growled as he rang the door-bell to Sasuke's apartment for the fifth time. The Uchiha had demanded that they get to Konoha as fast as possible, yet when they finally got there no one was home. Sasuke hadn't even left them a message.

"I'll call his cell phone," Juugo said as he dialed the Uchiha's number. Seconds later, they heard a familiar ring tone going off inside the apartment. For moment both guards looked at each other as realization soon dawned.

"SHIT!" Suigetsu yelled as he and Juugo rammed into the door. Two hits later, they broke into the apartment and immediately ran inside, each heading in a different direction.

"Over Here!" Juugo yelled as he found Sasuke's body on the living room floor. Suigetsu was immediately by Sasuke's side.

"SHIT!"

Juugo left Sasuke in Suigetsu's care, and looked around the room for any sign that would tell them what had happened. Sasuke had no noticeable wounds, so it may not have been a physical attack. His efforts were soon rewarded as Juugo found what he was looking for.

Sitting innocently on the coffee table was a pitcher of water. The broken glass lying next to Sasuke's body probably contained some of that water. Examining the contents of the water, Juugo came to a conclusion.

"Poison."

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long to write this chapter, but this was a very hard semester for me, and I didn't have time to devote to this story. But, the semester is over and done with now, so I will start writing more regularly from now on. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I drifted a little from what I was originally going to write but I still plan to write either a lemon or lime very soon, probably the next chapter. Talking about the next chapter, you'll find out what exactly happened to Sasuke in the next chapter. I will also return to the scene I last left Kimimaro in. You'll see what Sai decides to do. As for Gaara and Neji, well, I don't really want to spoil that, but it'll be cute.

Thanks for reading. I hoped you liked this chapter.

All reviews are welcome. Thanks. Till next time. ;)


	7. Confessions

A/N: This chapter is the beginning of the end; the story starts to pick up as Orochimaru makes his move. But don't worry; there are still many more chapters to come. -

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

_**Confessions**_

_**Re-cap: **_

"_Why were you alone? Where's Sasuke?"_

_A good question thought Izumo. _

"_Dead. I killed him." _

_Before he could finish the sentence, Izumo had a loaded gun pointed at his heart, and had thrown Sai behind the leather sofa and out of harm's way. _

"_Sai. Get out of here. Now!" Izumo yelled never taking his eyes away from his enemy._

_Kimimaro ignored Izumo. Instead, he stared at the leather sofa and watched as Sai pushed himself up. With the same emotionless eyes he always wore, he locked eyes with the younger male silently asking him what he would do now that he knew what he had done. He was very curious to know. _

_**End Re-cap**_

Still behind the sofa, Sai studied the guard standing in his living room, who at the moment seemed unconcerned at the gun aimed at his heart. He couldn't believe what Kimimaro had just confessed. He had grown up with his uncle and was no stranger to personal guards. He knew that each took a binding oath to their ward, and for a bodyguard to betray the person they were supposed to protect was almost unheard of. Staring at Kimimaro's prone form, Sai tried to think of something to do—say, as the white-haired guard stared at him in expectation.

"Sai! Get out of _**here**_," bit out a seething Izumo. _"What did Kimimaro have to do to make Sai understand that he was dangerous?!"_ Izumo thought. The other guard had just admitted that he had killed Sasuke, and if he could so easily kill his own ward, then it would be nothing to kill him. Sensing that his ward had yet to move, Izumo bit back a string of curses. God, how STUPID could Sai be!!

Never taking his eyes away from the other guard, Izumo slowly stepped back until he reached his ward. "I said get out of here!" Izumo hissed.

Kimimaro cocked his head to the side and stared at the two in the room. It was obvious that Izumo wanted Sai to get out of there, yet Sai never moved an inch and instead kept his eyes on him.

"You should listen to your bodyguard and leave," Kimimaro told the black-haired man standing behind a very pissed off guard.

Sai made no move to leave. "I don't believe you."

Kimimaro quirked an eyebrow in surprise, knowing that Sai was referring to his earlier confession, but why in the world didn't he believe him? Why hadn't he fled for his life the minute those words left his mouth and his guard ordered him to leave? Why did he insist on staying? He couldn't blame the other guard for getting irritated at his ward, if he was in his place, he'd have shot the intruder and be done with it. He would not have waited so long to take care of the threat. But that was neither here nor there. At the moment he **was** the threat and the other guard had every right to shoot him without a qualm—it's what he would have done anyway.

"Believe what you'd like, but the point remains that your guard has ordered you to leave and you have yet to do so."

"Don't speak to him in such a familiar manner. Not after what you've just confessed. To kill your own ward…that is the worst crime," Izumo spat eyes blazing in outrage.

Kimimaro said nothing but nodded his head in agreement. He was despicable, below trash. He had no honor after what he had done… and he found he didn't want to live in this manner. Knowing how the other guard would react, Kimimaro made a sudden move forward as if to attack.

Without hesitation, Izumo pressed the trigger. A single bullet left the chamber of the revolver, passed through the silencing clip to bury itself deep within Kimimaro's flesh with a sickening smack that could be heard above the noiseless gunshot.

Kimimaro was instantly thrown across the room and crashed into a wall, falling on his arms and knees as pained raced up his right arm. He was shocked that the bullet had missed his heart to bury itself in his right shoulder. However, it was not the fact that the guard had missed that shocked him, but the reason why he had missed.

Still clutching Izumo's hands, Sai stared at the fallen guard in utter surprise at his actions.

Sai had seen the look of surrender that dulled Kimimaro's eyes just before he attacked, and acting on instincts alone, he had grabbed the gun in Izumo's hand and managed to divert the bullet by a few inches saving Kimimaro from instant death.

Clutching his wound as blood spilled out of it, Kimimaro gawked at Sai in astonishment.

"Why?"

Before his stupefied ward could do anything, Izumo yanked the gun out of Sai's hands and quickly walked to the injured guard. Sai immediately snapped out of his daze when he saw Izumo heading toward Kimimaro thinking he was going to finish him off.

"Izumo. NO!"

Izumo ignored Sai's order and brought down the butt of his gun on the injured guard who made no move to stop him.

"Your little display was clear enough," Izumo bit out as he watched Kimimaro's body crumple to the floor unconscious.

Sai sagged in relief, but his respite was short lived when his guard whirled around and stomped to his side, his face none too happy with what he had done.

Night came around and Kimimaro had yet to wake up. Izumo had administered first-aid and bandaged the other guard's wound at Sai's orders. He was not pleased, but he consented since going to the hospital entailed explaining what had happened, and _that_ was out of the question. He didn't want anyone trying to pin this on his ward, or have any reason to cause Sai any problems in the future. However, he was also not willing to put his ward in any danger either. Though Sai still couldn't get it though his thick skull that Kimimaro was dangerous, he knew better. So before administering any type of aid, he tightly tied Kimimaro's arms and legs to the bed so that he wouldn't be able to move once he woke up.

The hours dragged on until Kimimaro finally woke up at about half past eight. As soon as he woke, he felt a dull ache in his right shoulder. It was a painful reminder of what happened just a few hours before. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened for any clues that his surroundings might give him, but he heard none. That is until someone spoke up.

"You might as well open your eyes. I know you're awake," Izumo said from the corner of the room. He had been keeping watch on the still form on the bed and had noticed the momentary break in his breathing pattern and knew he had awakened. Being a trained guard, he knew Kimimaro wouldn't let on that he was conscious until he had thoroughly assed the situation.

Sky blue eyes opened and Kimimaro took in the room. He had already figured out that he was tied to the bed, but had refrained himself from testing the ropes.

Standing in the corner of the room, Izumo stared at him with a hint of anger behind his solemn eyes before leaving the room. The tied male watched him leave, but said nothing; although he was surprised that the other guard would leave him alone so easily after what had happened. Heck, he was surprised he was even still alive, let alone tied to a bed. Why hadn't the guard killed him already?

He was willing to bet it was due to a stubborn dark eyed young male who was too stupid to listen to those in charge of his safety. He didn't know why Sai had saved him, but he knew he owed him his life, and Kimimaro always re-paid his debts.

Busy testing the ropes, Kimimaro barely noticed as Izumo entered the room with his ward behind him.

"Leave them," Izumo ordered as he entered the room and noticed what Kimimaro was doing.

The bed-ridden male didn't bother looking at the guard and instead focused on his ward who was looking at him with concern. There was a reason why Sai had saved his life, and he was going to find out that reason.

"Izumo can you give me a few minutes? Please."

Izumo stared at his ward but didn't let any of the surprise slip through. Sai never _**asked **_him anything. He always ordered him, yet there he stood asking to spend a few minutes with a murderer. He couldn't do it. If he had asked him anything else he would have done it instantly, but this…this he would not do.

"Please. Just a few minutes. I will leave the door open if it makes you feel better," he offered as a truce. He knew Izumo didn't want him anywhere near Kimimaro. He was actually surprised that he had agreed to help the other guard as much as he had already had, what with cleaning out his wounds and bandaging them up.

Izumo had practically torn his head off after he had knocked Kimimaro unconscious. He was seething that he had interfered. He couldn't believe that he had invited the other guard to his home or himself for allowing it. He had been furious at him for putting himself in danger for someone he had only met once before (he didn't know he had met Kimimaro five years ago at the small café), and had been hurt by that person.

Not being one to tolerate such prodding, Sai had let his own anger loose and ended up firing him. Izumo hadn't even flinched telling him he wasn't his guard because of the money. He had given his word that he would protect him and he wouldn't leave him until he was safe and had acquired another guard to take his place. By the time things had ended, Sai had conceded. Izumo had every right for taking such action, and without telling him his own reasoning behind_** his**_ actions he couldn't expect his bodyguard to understand. So, he had apologized for threatening to fire him and re-instated his position as his personal guard. However, he _**did**__**not**_ apologize for stopping him from killing the other male nor for inviting him to his home. He enlightened Izumo on his first meeting with the white-haired man and hinted at feeling a connection to him, a connection he wanted to explore.

Izumo, being his personal bodyguard, was privy to many things that most people were not allowed to even glimpse from the young business man, and he knew that this was the first time Sai showed an interest in another. Knowing that Sai was not a man who was used to explaining his actions, Izumo felt privileged that he was doing so now, but that didn't mean he was happy with whom he was interested _in_. In fact, he was damn right livid. After years of disinterest, Sai had finally shown an interest in someone, and was even willing to pursue that interest, but why in the world did it have to be _**HIM! **_

"_God, could he have chosen anyone worse than that __**guard!?**__"_ Izumo thought as Sai looked at him in expectation. Cursing under his breath for the millionth time that evening the guard gave his consent, and strode out of the room, pointedly leaving the door open behind him.

Once he was alone, Sai gazed at the man tied to the bed. He grabbed a nearby chair and set it next to the bed and sat down on it. Once he was settled, Kimimaro stared at him, and Sai had to use all his self control to return his stare as those ever seeing eyes looked at him with ice intensity.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Kimimaro answered with a question of his own. "Why did you save me?"

Sai sighed, and ran a hand over his face as he thought of an appropriate answer.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Izumo," Sai said. "I'm not quite sure why I saved you only that I didn't want you to die."

"Why do you care if I die?"

"Because I care for you. Again, I don't know why I do. I only know that I do."

Kimimaro fell silent. Why would this young business man care for him? He was trash, filth. He had lost his honor, yet this man had saved his life for no other reason than that he didn't want him to die because he cared for him. He didn't understand at all. No one had ever cared for him, well at least not as anything other than an assassin.

"What happened to Sasuke?" Sai asked, cutting into his thoughts. At the question, Kimimaro had to look away from those curious eyes.

"I poisoned him."

"Did you kill him?"

"I have already answered that question."

"I'm asking it again. Did you kill him?"

"…"

He said nothing.

"You said you poisoned him. Did you check his body? Did you confirm that he was dead?"

"…"

"You didn't, did you?" Sai gently asked as he cupped Kimimaro's strong jaw in his hand and softly pushed it to the side so that he was facing him. He frowned at the other male kept his eyes away from him.

"Look at me. Please."

Ever so slowly, sky blue eyes locked onto obsidian orbs.

"Is Sasuke dead?"

"…"

Still locking eyes with Kimimaro, Sai waited for a few moments, and was soon rewarded for his patience.

"I poisoned his water with enough poison to kill him, but…"

"But what?"

"… it was most likely diluted."

"What do you mean?" he asked anxiously.

"The ice. I placed a large amount of ice in the water. It probably melted, and diluted the poison making it less potent."

Relief swept through the younger male. He hadn't killed him. But, there was still the question as to why Kimimaro had staged it so that anyone would believe that he _had_ tried to kill his ward? A guard of Kimimaro's caliber would never fail to kill his victim, and the fact that Kimimaro had placed the ice in the poisoned water only further proved that he had never intended to kill Sasuke.

"Why did you make it look like you tried to kill him?" Sai asked.

"I cannot tell you."

"I can help you with this. Tell me. Please," he implored.

Kimimaro didn't know why he felt compelled to tell him. He had never felt the need to talk to someone about his problems; God knew he had enough of them what with his illness and everything. He instantly retreated from that frame of thought and focused on the male who seemed genuinely interested in helping him for no other reason than because he cared. He still couldn't believe what he had told him early, but at the moment he felt too drained to fight anymore. He wanted to lean on someone, talk about the things that had been eating at him for the last year. Find comfort…erase the loneliness even for just a few minutes…

"My true ward wanted him dead."

"Wha—"

Kimimaro looked at him behind hooded eyes. "My first ward gave me to Sasuke as a bodyguard, and ordered me to spy on him. Because I was supposed to become Sasuke's personal guard, I had to give my allegiance to him while maintaining my allegiance to my original ward."

"You had to maintain two oaths of loyalty?!" Sai gasped. He had never heard of such a thing. It was despicable. To make a guard maintain two oaths of loyalty was condemned by society. It just wasn't done. A personal guard had to be completely loyal so once they switched wards, which was a rare thing in itself, their oath of loyalty to their original ward was renounced and they pledged an oath of loyalty to their new ward.

"Did your original ward order you to give Sasuke an oath of loyalty while still holding you to your oath of loyalty to him?" Sai asked knowing that that was the only way something as despicable as the web Kimimaro was caught in could occur.

Kimimaro nodded his head.

Sai fisted his hands, angry at the person who had done this to him. "Knowing you had given your allegiance to Sasuke, your original ward ordered you to kill him, did he not?"

Again, Kimimaro nodded.

"Who is your original ward?" Sai asked with deadly intent.

"…Orochimaru."

Obsidian eyes widened in shock, and Kimimaro instantly knew that he had made a grave mistake. Sai had recognized that name.

"Why did he order you to kill Sasuke?"

"I am still under his allegiance. I'm sorry, but I cannot betray him more than I have already done. I should not have said his name."

Sai was about to protest, and demand an answer but refrained himself from doing so when he saw Kimimaro's eyes lose the light they had held only moments before. Swearing to himself that he would help Kimimaro out of the mess Orochimaru had put him in, Sai let the subject drop. He would have to talk to Itachi once he learned more. The older Uchiha had asked him to keep tabs on the snake bastard.

"If I untie you will you stay? I want to help you, but I can't do that if you leave."

After a minute of tense silence Kimimaro finally answered.

"I will stay."

Sai grinned, genuinely happy that Kimimaro would stay. However, his grin quickly turned into a mischievous smile as he saw the exact condition Kimimaro was currently in. Looking at the securely tied ropes holding the other male down, Sai couldn't help but think about all the possibilities such a situation could offer. Maybe he was a bondage sort of guy. He had never really experimented, so who knew?

Standing up from his chair, he caught Kimimaro's gaze and smirked knowingly. Kimimaro was about to question him when Sai bent down and firmly pressed his lips to his own. To say the least, Kimimaro was shocked. He had never been kissed before. Being a bodyguard was his life, his only reality. Even as a teenager, he had not reacted to the hormones the way others of his same age group did. So, when Sai began to ravage his lips with wet open kisses he was unprepared, but his body soon began to react to the sensual kiss and the soft touches of Sai's wandering hands.

Sai noticed the other's breath was becoming a bit harsher and pressed on. He let his hands wander around the guard's firm torso touching here and there as he sucked on the rosy lips. Kimimaro gasped, breath caught in his throat at Sai's ministrations. Sai, always one to take advantage of any opportunities awarded to him, immediately ravaged his mouth hungrily tasting him with his tongue. Kimimaro kissed him back, straining against the ropes that impaired his movements. Sai paid no heed to his predicament and instead grabbed a fistful of white hair and swiftly pulled back the other's head so that he had more access to his mouth, and deepened the kiss. Kimimaro groaned into the smoldering kiss as he felt Sai's hand ghost over his sensitized skin as he explored his body with tentative touches. Lapping at the rosy lips, Sai slowly drew his lips away and stared into those sky blue eyes as he gulped in a lungful of air. They were both panting harshly, hearts beating loudly, but neither cared at the moment. Their minds were racing with the possibilities.

"Why did you kiss me?" Kimimaro asked once he found his breath.

Sai laughed a good hearty laugh that rumbled out of his delicate throat. "I already told you I liked you," he told him skimming his fingers over those lush lips that still glistened with his ministrations. "Haven't you figured it out by now?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow upwards in curiosity. He thought he had made it clear with that steamy kiss, but seeing the confusion that still clouded those sky blue eyes, Sai decided to be more blunt, not that he hadn't already made it obvious.

Mirth shining off his obsidian eyes, Sai bent down and softly kissed his ear. "I'm attracted to you," he whispered as he flicked his tongue over the soft flesh making the man beneath him shudder in response.

Smiling happily, Sai pulled away and couldn't help but press a soft chaste kiss on Kimimaro's mouth before he told him that he'd return with Izumo in ten minutes in order to untie him.

Kimimaro could only stare at his retreating back wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.

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"You're just drawing for straws because you don't want to kill him," Suigetsu sneered.

"If you would stop to look at the evidence, then you would come to the same conclusion as I have," Juugo responded in return which only ended up angering Suigetsu even more.

"I did look at the evidence. He tried to kill _**my**_ ward. We found Sasuke half-dead for god sake!"

Juugo sighed. There was no convincing Suigetsu at this point—not after finding Sasuke in the condition he was in.

He and Suigetsu had immediately rushed their ward to the hospital as soon as they realized he'd been poisoned. The doctors had stabilized his vitals and after figuring out the type of poison in his system, they had administered the antidote. However, though the dosage of poison hadn't killed Sasuke, it was still enough to make him extremely ill. Right now, Sasuke was recovering in a private room in the hospital. Juugo had made sure to plug any possible leaks of Sasuke's condition to the media, so when a blonde male, who obviously was not a doctor, trailed after the pink-haired nurse in charge of Sasuke's care, Juugo along with the other guard, narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Hello, Sasuke. How are you this morning?" the nurse cheerfully asked as she moved to check the equipment monitoring Sasuke's condition. She took a few notes on her clipboard before moving to change the IV pack. Sasuke didn't respond to her words and instead stared at the blonde intruder, saying nothing when both Juugo and Suigetsu looked at him question.

"If you keep this up, you'll be able to leave by tomorrow," she said, breaking the silence that encompassed the room. She tried to hide her nerves with quite chatter, but it wasn't working. She knew it was a bad idea when she agreed to let Naruto see Sasuke.

She had been on duty last night when the pair of guards had brought in the young Uchiha, much to her shock. She hadn't heard anything from her old high school friend for five years, so it came as big surprise when she had arrived on scene to help her master. Tsunade had put her in charge of his care after the older woman had administered the antidote, and she readily accepted.

Sakura continued on with her routine checks happily chatting away at the otherwise silent room. As she continued her work, she looked at the blond behind her and sighed. She had to admit, it was her own fault why Naruto was with her right now. In her excitement, she had told Lee of Sasuke's arrival at the hospital. Lee, being the good friend that he was, had told Kiba, who was the only person of their high school days that he ever talked too. After that it was only a matter of time before Naruto found out.

The blonde had practically ambushed her outside her apartment this morning before she left for work. He hounded her to until she agreed to let him see Sasuke, though she had insisted that Yamato had to stay outside. So, here she stood, Sasuke none too pleased with her if she interpreted the glare he sent her way correctly, and Naruto fidgeting as the two bodyguards stared at him with cold eyes.

"I need to make a few more rounds, but I'll come back and check on you again in another half an hour."

Sasuke nodded at her, and she smiled sweetly in return. With that, Sakura briskly walked out of the hospital room and softly closed the door behind her. Once outside, she sagged against the door thanking whatever god was up there for letting her escape from the tense room. She was sure she would have to deal with a very displeased Uchiha later on for bringing Naruto to his room, but she didn't let it distract her. Sighing to herself, she straightened her back and took off, heading for the next patient on her chart.

"What are you doing here Uzumaki?" Sasuke snapped, back inside his private room.

Naruto had the decency to blush and began to fidget even more under the Uchiha's glare. "Umm, you see… I heard, umm…well, the truth is—"

"Spit it out Uzumaki!" Sasuke hissed as he mentally told himself that he would have a very long talk with Sakura when she returned.

The Uchiha's none too friendly greeting snapped Naruto out of his awkward fumbling, and he let his temper loose.

"Even when you're stuck in a hospital bed, you're still an asshole!" Naruto exclaimed. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but here you are snapping at me like a damn cat. Well, excuse me for caring asshole!"

"As you can see, I'm fine," Sasuke retorted. "Besides, I don't see why you would care. We are _only_ business associates. Nothing more."

Naruto immediately straightened at the response and began to fidget once again, eyes shifting back to the Uchiha in a deer-caught-in-the-headlights kind of way. "Uh, well I **don't** care. I mean… that is to say…I only _**care**_ as a **fellow** business associate of yours," he lied pathetically as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment, eyes still shifting back to the Uchiha.

"Right." Sasuke drawled no believing him for a second. Naruto had never been able to lie to him. _"At least some things never change,"_ Sasuke thought as he continued to look at the now uncomfortable blonde. Deciding to give him a break, Sasuke gestured to the chair next to his bed.

"I assume you wiggled your way in here through Sakura," he said. Naruto's mood immediately lightened, and he put both hands behind his head, smiling cheekily at being caught.

"How did you guess?" His eyes twinkled with unsuppressed mirth, not at all sorry for what he had done.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It wasn't that hard to figure out."

The blonde shrugged and sat down on the offered seat. "So, what happened to you?"

"Your prying," Sasuke stated, not about to enlighten him.

Naruto pouted and aimed his puppy dog eyes at him. Sasuke was always a sucker for them.

As he thought, Sasuke immediately looked away from him. _"Damn him! Those eyes are still potent as ever."_

"Don't look at me with those eyes," the Uchiha growled, still looking away.

Naruto grinned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, now stop it or I'm going to kick you out of my room," Sasuke threatened.

"Seriously Sasuke, I don't know what your talking about," Naruto lied, leaning forward as he upped the ante and stuck out a quivering lip making him look nothing but adorable. Suigetsu had to stifle a chuckle when he saw what the blonde was doing while Juugo merely stared in curiosity, wondering if Sasuke would fall for it.

"Damn it Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, whirling around to face a surprised blonde.

Naruto blinked, his mood instantly plummeting. He hadn't meant to upset him. "I just wanted to know what happened," he softly whispered, throwing all masks away. He looked at the bed-ridden Uchiha and couldn't hide the emotions that he felt. He had been so scared that he had almost lost him. "I know we're only business associates, but damn it we practically grew up together. We were friends for years before, well before things went to hell. But that doesn't mean that I don't care for you. When I found out that you were in the E.R. I practically had a heart attack." Naruto clenched his hands at the thought. "I don't care if you hate me, you're still an old friend, and I'm sorry if I haven't been acting it these last two months, but _**damn i**__t_! What did you expect from me after what happened. And I'm sorry that I told you that I didn't want to see you ever again after this deal, but you didn't make it any easier. God, you can be such an asshole sometimes," Naruto glared at him, but his glare immediately softened as he saw all the machines attached to his porcelain skin, monitoring his condition. "Can I do anything to help?" he quietly asked, looking down at his clenched hands, refusing to meet Sasuke's eyes after everything he had said.

Sasuke sighed. He had glimpsed the unshed tears behind those sapphire eyes. It was so much easier to be mean and callous to Naruto when the blonde treated him the same way, but he couldn't help but try to take the hurt away from those usually happy eyes. They were never meant to hold anything but happiness.

"The pillow," Sasuke reluctantly muttered.

Naruto looked at him, giving him a questioning look.

"The pillow is too low," Sasuke explained.

"Oh. Oh!" Naruto quickly got up to help him with the pillow, smiling all the while as the Uchiha tried to explain to him how he wanted it.

Juugo and Suigetsu looked on in hidden curiosity as Naruto shifted the pillow about 25 times before Sasuke was satisfied. They listened closely to the blonde as he started talking to their ward catching him up on old mutual friends. Sasuke listened for the most part, insulting the blonde every few minutes, but it seemed he did it more to get a rise out of the blonde buffoon than to be mean. Much to Sasuke's satisfaction, Naruto would always take the bait, and insult him back calling him names that the two guards never thought they would ever hear aimed toward their ward. Sasuke never got mad at the blonde, though he did get irritated with Naruto, but no one could really blame him, after all this was Naruto. Thus, Naruto chatted away, while Sasuke listened to his endless chatter never noticing the slight smile that blossomed on his lips every time the blonde got at bit too excited, though the two guards didn't miss it.

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"We haven't located Kimimaro's whereabouts, and Sasuke is being heavily guarded by his two personal bodyguards," Kabuto reported to his ward.

Orochimaru grimaced in response, fuming at the way things had turned out. Damn Kimimaro. He had disobeyed him and left Sasuke alive. And now his two bodyguards were on high alert. He doubted he would get another shot at the Uchiha. Sasuke had probably figured out by now that he had ordered Kimimaro to kill him, and planning to retaliate very soon.

Orochimaru slammed his hand on his desk. His plan had been flawless. He had made sure Sasuke was in Kimimaro's care when he secured the deal with _**Advocate**_. All Kimimaro had to do was kill the insolent whelp! The only way Sasuke could have survived was because Kimimaro let him. And now, Kimimaro was nowhere to be found!

"What are your instructions?" Kabuto hesitantly asked.

The snake looked at him with cold eyes. "Inform all underground organizations that I'm offering a two million dollar reward for anyone who can kill Sasuke and his traitor of a bodyguard, Kimimaro."

Kabuto nodded, but before he could leave, Orochimaru stopped him. "Include a one million dollar reward for anyone who can bring me Hyuuga Neji. I want him alive. He needs to pay for what he did to my facility, all the data that I lost; besides I need my specimen back."

Kabuto nodded. "I will get in touch with my contacts. The news will be all over the underground by midnight tonight."

Orochimaru smiled.

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Back in the mountains in a small cabin, a short red-head was barely waking up from his comatose like sleep. _"What time is it?" _he thought groggily as he tried to remember how he got in his bed, but his thoughts soon scattered as he felt another's body pinning him in place.

Gaara immediately snapped opened his eyes, and stared at a sleeping Neji, whose arms were wound tightly around him, encasing him in his warmth.

Later when Neji accused him of his actions, Gaara would only shrug in response; he couldn't really say anything in his defense except that he had merely reacted.

Without a second thought, Gaara shoved Neji off of him, effectively waking up the sleeping brunette, but before Neji could take in his surroundings, he was literally kicked off the bed by a seething red-head. Before he knew it, Neji landed on the cold hard wooden floor pulling the sheets with him.

Neji looked up at a seething red-head in confusion. "What's happened?" he asked still half asleep and none the wiser to what Gaara had done.

"What the hell are you doing!" Gaara yelled down at him from the edge of the bed as he looked at the still confused brunette.

Finally aware of what was happening, Neji glared back at the red-head. _**"What the Hell am I doing, what the Hell are you doing. Why the hell did you kick me off the goddamn bed!!?" **_

"**Why the hell **_**were**_** you in my goddamn bed?!"** the red-head retorted, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Muttering about temperamental red-heads and their goddamn hysterics, Neji got up from the ground, leaving a pool of sheets on the floor.

"Look. You fell asleep on the couch last night and I brought you to your room—"

"That still doesn't explain why I woke up practically smothered by you!" Gaara yelled.

"Can you let me finish!" Neji snapped. "Like I was saying, after I brought you to your room, I tried to put you in bed, but you wouldn't let me go. You were clinging to me in your sleep. I figured you hadn't been getting enough sleep what with passing out on the couch and all so I didn't want to wake you up. I laid down on the bed with you and waited for you to let go of me. I guess I must have fallen asleep…" Neji trailed off.

Gaara still glared at him, but said nothing. Uncomfortable with the silence, Neji spoke. "Look, thank you for helping me yesterday, but I know you don't want me here, so I'll leave," he said as he retrieved the sheets from the ground.

Gaara dropped the glare and pushed himself into a sitting position so that his legs dangled on the side. "You can't go out there in this weather. It's pouring outside," he said, clearing hearing the rain outside. "Besides, I told your uncle that I would help."

With that Gaara jumped off the bed, and began to fix his disheveled bed. For a few moments, Neji simply watched the red-head. He didn't know why he was being so…nice.

"What exactly did my uncle tell you when he asked you to help me?" Neji asked, curious what his uncle could have possibly said to make Gaara even consider speaking to him, let alone help him.

Gaara looked at him for a second before returning back to his work. "That's between me and him."

Neji wanted to say something more, but it was obvious Gaara wasn't going to tell him anything. Telling himself that he would ask his uncle later, he helped the red-head make the bed. When they finished with their task, they both went to change into some clean clothes. Neji wore the same clothes he had worn yesterday after Gaara washed and dried them.

After they finished eating breakfast, well more like lunch since they hadn't woken up until noon, the two cleaned up the small kitchen.

As Gaara finished drying the last of the dishes, he was unaware of Neji's gaze on him. Neji used the opportunity to study Gaara's tattoo. He remembered his thoughts from last night and thought this was as good a time as any to ask Gaara about it.

"Gaara, why did you choose that tattoo?" Neji asked pointing to the other's forehead.

Gaara tightened his hold on the plate he was drying, but never stopped his work.

"Why do you care?"

"I always wanted to ask when we were going out, but I always forgot figuring I could always ask you later. But with everything that happened…"

"I liked the way it looked," Gaara answered as he placed the last dish on the drying rack.

Neji stared at him. He knew there was more to it than that. Gaara never did anything without a reason, and getting a tattoo at such a young age definitely required a reason. A _**big **_reason.

"You're lying."

The red-head turned around to face him. "Drop the subject Hyuuga," he warned.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Then answer me this. Why did you get it at all?"

"I said drop it!"

"Why are getting so defensive?" 

Gaara narrowed his eyes on him. "Five years ago, the day you broke up with me, I saw you at the lake with some grey-haired man. You were crying, and I saw him offer his hand out to you. What did he tell you that made you cry?" Gaara asked him, gaining a great deal of satisfaction when he saw Neji look away from him.

"Did you accept his hand when he offered it to you?" he continued, knowing that Neji wouldn't answer him. They _both _had their secrets.

"You really don't want to answer my question do you?"

Gaara didn't respond and instead stomped out of the kitchen and swiftly entered the living room. Neji followed.

"We both have our secrets that we'd like to keep buried in the past, but look where it's gotten us," Neji gestured to themselves. "Nowhere."

Gaara still didn't respond.

Gaara's question had caught him off guard, and he had instinctively clammed up. Neji knew that the red-head had only asked him in order to give him a taste of is own medicine, but he found that it had accomplished the opposite. If Gaara would resort to such a cowardly tactic, then he wanted to know even more, and if he had to answer Gaara's question, then so be it.

Sighing to himself Neji sat on down on the couch, and stared at the coffee table as he remembered the events of that fateful day. If he kept his sorrows hidden, then he would never be able to overcome them. Genma had told him that when he had returned to the Hyuuga Mansion.

"He told me about my father's death," Neji whispered to the quiet room. Gaara shifted his eyes to the sitting brunette but said nothing. "He didn't tell me right then. He had sent me an envelope earlier that day. It accused my uncle for my father's death. I still hated my uncle back then so I instantly looked through each paper, my heart filling with hate and sorrow as I read through each passage…when I was done reading, I watched the video." Neji began to laugh, but his laughter was anything but happy. It was a bitter laugh that sent goosebumps up Gaara's spine. "I never thought I'd be seeing my father's last moments when I hit the play button." Neji buried his face in his hands as his body began to convulse under the strain of keeping his emotions on a tight leash. "I-I l-loved my fa-fa-father…but to see him die in that manner…I-I c-co-couldn't handle it."

Gaara shifted uncomfortably where he stood as he watched Neji valiantly trying to compose himself. After a few minutes, Neji calmed down enough to look at him. He had shed no tears, but his eyes held a pain so great, he was sure he had already shed enough to last him a lifetime.

"I did accept his offered hand." Neji quietly said, answering Gaara's earlier question ", and I've regretted it ever since."

No longer able to stand Neji's sorrow, Gaara walked out of the living room and headed for the kitchen where he brewed some tea in an effort to do something productive. Five minutes later, he came back with two steaming cups of tea. He handed one to Neji, who gratefully accepted it and sat next to him, sipping his own tea. All the while, he thought on what Neji had said, and what he himself would say.

"My mother died giving birth to me," Gaara began, staring down at his cup of tea as he retrieved the painful memories from the dark waters of his mind. "Because of that, my father hated me. I had taken away his first love, and in retaliation, he never gave me love. Growing up, the only person I thought who truly loved me was my mother's brother, Yashamaru. He took me in when my father didn't want me. I lived with him for the first six years of my life. I loved him as much as a little boy's heart could love. He was the only person that ever cared about me, the only person that ever told me those three little words that I so longed to hear…" he trailed off, remembering just how happy he had been with his uncle. "But it was all a lie," he sneered, sloshing the tea around as his hands trembled in repressed emotions. "He hated me as much as everyone else—more so than most. He told me he never loved me—told me that he had only tried to love me for his sister's sake, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't love a monster like me, for what else could I be in his eyes but a monster that had taken away his precious sister. But he didn't simply hate me, he loathed me. He loathed me enough to try and kill me when I was only six years old. He would have succeeded too if not but a stroke of luck. In the end he ended up dying and I was left alone. I was in shock after what happened and just ran from the house, crying with every step I took. I don't really know how long I ran, but eventually I was too tired to continue, so I slowed down and walked through the streets. I remember hating the world for its cruelties. If I wasn't worthy enough to be loved then I wouldn't share my love either, I would love myself, and only myself. I know it was childish of me, but what can I say, I was only a child. I don't remember how I got there or how long it had taken me, but I ended up at a tattoo parlor. The guy was high, and as long as I paid him, he didn't care if I was a minor. I wanted a permanent reminder of my decision. After getting the Kanji, I remember going back to the house and locking myself in the bathroom just staring at the Kanji…I stayed that way until the police found me a few days later. I _chose_ 'Love' because it was denied to me," Gaara growled out the last words as he slammed the cup on the coffee table, spilling it everywhere. He was so far gone that he didn't register the brunette's movements until he was practically on Neji's lap in a bone-crushing hug.

"I had no idea," Neji whispered as he held on tightly to the delicate red-head in his arms. He couldn't even imagine the horrors Gaara had to face, and at such a young age. With renewed vigor, he drew Gaara closer. He softly rubbed his tender back, murmuring words of affection all the while. Gaara stayed in the warm embrace. He was amazed he hadn't pushed Neji away, but he figured misery loves company. He had never told that story to anyone, and he was feeling unnaturally lonely, in need of another's presence, and Neji's touch felt good.

Neither let go of the other as they continued to spill their secrets to one another, purging themselves. After years of keeping it all in, it all came crashing out. They were glad that they didn't have to face it alone. And so, all their secrets were revealed to the light of day, and Neji betrayed his family once more as he revealed the one forbidden secret of the Hyuuga family to the silent red-head in his arms. He told him of the virus, of his father's death, of his mother's death, of his subsequent betrayal. He told him of the years he had spent locked behind the façade of freedom. He told about the facility, Kabuto, Orochimaru, his own research of the Hyuuga virus…and he told him about Kabuto's lies, about his escape and everything else he had kept bottled up inside. Gaara didn't keep silent for long and never removing himself from Neji's embrace, he spilled his own secrets. He spoke of his home life with his father, of the endless tutors, the cage his father kept in the basement, the times he spent entire weekends locked behind those cool metal bars, the times his siblings found him, the endless hours he spent working on his glass art to escape from his reality, the fights with his father, and emptiness he felt at his father's death, becoming a burden to his siblings, his insecurities, his heartbreak when the Hyuuga revoked his words of love just like Yashamaru's had revoked his own (at which point Neji buried his face in his red locks, endlessly apologizing for his words, taking them all back), his subsequent confinement inside the metal cage, the dark thoughts of his mind, his break-down, his slow recovery, the endless therapy sessions with Haku, the burden he felt himself to be. He spoke about the small victories and his eventual triumph in putting himself back together after his breakdown. He talked about his emerging art career, and everything else that happened to him that he refused to let anyone know. In their endless recounts, the two didn't notice as the sun made its daily journey across the sky and dipped down to disappear beneath the mountain as it completed its daily cycle.

By the time they were finished the crickets were singing, and Gaara couldn't help but think that their song was especially sad that night. Eventually, Gaara extracted himself from Neji's embrace and the two had a small dinner before Gaara hesitantly asked the brunette if he wanted to spend the night, though he would have to sleep in the guest room. Neji gratefully accepted the offer and the two went to sleep; content that they weren't completely alone as they had once thought. The two slept soundly, both unaware of the chaos that soon awaited their budding relationship. Midnight came and went and the news of Orochimaru's reward spread across the underground, and with it, Neji's freedom was all but forfeited.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

Don't hate me…

Yes, I ended it there. Things are going to get messy from here on out as tempers clash. Emotions start to blossom under the turmoil to come as loved ones are literally hunted down by deadly assassins. The next chapter will…(?)…as of now, I'm not quite sure what exactly I'm going to write. At this point anything goes.

Thanks for reading. I hoped you liked this chapter.

All reviews are welcome. Thanks. Till next time. ;)


	8. Assassin

A/N:

A/N: I've decided to kill off a character, though which one it will be I still don't know. At the moment, no one's safe. Also, check out my new story called "The Minister's Son". I'll make sure to update that one more often since it's only about 10 pages per chapter.

Small Rant: I hate Quantum Mechanics and its stupid numberless math with all its Greek symbols, and then some!

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but the story itself is of my own creation.

* * *

_**Assassin**_

_**The Next Day**_

"Do you understand Naruto?" Juugo asked the blonde.

Naruto barely moved his head in confirmation, but the guard saw it. Juugo nodded his head to him then peered up at his guard for a brief moment before leaving the two alone, and returning to Sasuke's side as Suigetsu finished going over the plan with him. Yamato's face had been expressionless giving nothing away. If the guard was upset that they were asking him to place his ward in danger in order to keep _their_ ward safe, he could not tell.

Seeing as the guards were busy talking to their ward on the other side of the room, Yamato took the opportunity to make sure Naruto was okay. At the moment, the blonde was still in shock. If he didn't sit down soon, his knees were surely going to fail him.

"Naruto, sit down," Yamato told him, placing a chair next to him.

For a few seconds, Naruto simply blinked up at him in confusion before he recognized the chair and sat down on it. However, as soon as he sat down he was lost in thought again.

Orochimaru had placed a prize on Sasuke's head.

He was being hunted.

Naruto couldn't believe what Juugo had told him, but after Yamato conducted his own investigation using _his _underground connections (which he was shocked his guard even had), he confirmed Juugo's words.

Underground assassins! For godsake, he never even knew people like that existed. He always thought it was just some Hollywood fantasy—made up, not REAL!

Sasuke was supposed to be released from the hospital that morning and the two of them were supposed to walk out that front door and go to lunch and do all those things that old friends did when they were reunited after a long absence. He was supposed to get his best friend back goddamn it!

He almost screamed in frustration.

Too lost in his own thoughts, Naruto didn't notice as the Uchiha walked up to him.

"You don't have to do this," Sasuke's soprano voice stated, noting the flash of anger that crossed those sapphire eyes. "Juugo and Suigetsu are more than enough. I don't know why I let them ask you to help us. It's not your burden to bear."

Naruto growled, knowing what Sasuke was doing. He was giving him a gracious way out.

"What do you expect me to say to that Sasuke," Naruto spat, getting back to his feet so that he was face to face with the other. "Don't insult me by telling me I don't have to do this. Of course, I have to. I would never forgive myself if I left you to die at the hands of those bastards."

"I don't need your help Uzumaki," Sasuke snapped back, angry at the blonde's words. "I can get out of here on my own, and I _will not_ die by the hands of anyone. _**When I die it will be by my own choice!**_"

The two glared at each other, neither willing to say more.

"We should get going," Yamato said, bringing them back to the situation at hand. "If Naruto is seen leaving the hospital so late at night, it may look suspicious. After all, your relationship with him is no secret," Yamato said, referring to their business relationship, though it might have been something else altogether with the way Naruto's eyes widen, while the Uchiha immediately found the white walls of his room very interesting. Yamato made a mental note of their reactions, but said nothing on the matter.

Naruto quickly recovered his composure and turned to a similarly composed Uchiha.

"I'll see you in two days," he told the other, challenging him to say anything against it. Sasuke turned away from, but didn't refute his words. Naruto nodded in approval and quickly left the private room with Yamato in tow.

Once Naruto was gone, Sasuke flicked his eyes toward Juugo, eying him carefully. If it wasn't for Juugo, he would never have found out about the prize Orochimaru had placed on his head until it was too late—much too late. He was extremely fortunate to have such a guard.

Juugo's connections to the underground world were the best. His family produced the deadliest underground assassins, and thus privy to information before it reached anyone else. So when word spread that Orochimaru had placed a bounty on _his_ ward, Juugo was immediately contacted and warned. Though, they would do nothing more. If Juugo could not adequately protect his own ward, then it was his shame to bear if his ward died on his watch.

Sasuke pushed that thought away, and returned his attention back to Juugo's other discoveries. Not only had Orochimaru placed a price on his head, he had also placed two similar offers on the most unlikely people.

One was on Kimimaro, a fact that made the Uchiha re-evaluate his opinion of his ex-guard. After carefully reviewing all the facts once more, he came to the same conclusion as Juugo: Kimimaro had saved his life.

If Kimimaro truly meant to kill him, then he would be dead right now. The fact that he wasn't spoke volumes, and Orochimaru wasn't deaf. Though, Sasuke never had the guard's loyalty, it seemed that neither did Orochimaru, and thus, the reason why he had placed a bounty on the white-haired man.

However, it was the second reward that most confused him. Why would Orochimaru place a reward on Hyuuga Neji?

He had been shocked, to say the least, when Juugo informed him. He didn't know the snake even knew the Hyuuga, let alone have a reason to place a bounty on him, though in Neji's case, Orochimaru had specifically indicated that he wanted him alive.

Sasuke had informed Naruto of this new development, and the blonde instantly went pale, and immediately decide to warn Neji.

Sasuke sighed. There were too many variables, too many ways for the people around him, especially Naruto, to get hurt. He couldn't let that happen. Naruto didn't deserve this.

Running a hand down his face, Sasuke made a decision. As soon as he got out of this mess, he would leave Konoha and all its inhabitants forever.

He would not return again.

* * *

_**2 Days Later**_

The shrill of the ambulance enveloped the entrance to the hospital. Orders were shouted above the noise and the trained staff responded accordingly.

"What's the status?"

"Male. Early 20's. Car accident. Possible concussion," the paramedic reported to the pink haired nurse as they hurried through the waiting room. The paramedic pushed the stretcher through the corridor and into the E.R. leaving a whirlwind of confusion behind him at his sudden and chaotic entrance. Once the double doors closed behind them, Sakura looked back to make sure they weren't being followed. To her relief the corridor remained deserted.

She picked up her pace, and caught up to the paramedic as they rounded the corner, and entered a designated room.

As soon the door closed behind them, the _**patient**_ immediately got up and scrambled out of the stretcher.

"How long do we have?" Naruto asked as he pulled off his clothes and changed into the paramedic uniform Sakura handed him.

"Five minutes," she answered as she helped Sasuke onto the stretcher. She then grabbed a white sheet from one of the cabinets and placed it over the Uchiha's body, leaving his face uncovered for the moment.

Naruto felt his pocket vibrate, and he quickly pulled out his phone.

It was Juugo.

The blonde talked on the phone for less than a minute, before hanging up. Three pairs of eyes immediately locked onto him, waiting to hear the news.

Naruto ignored the two near the stretcher, and turned to his guard. "Juugo just reported that the man in the waiting room, the one with the sunglasses, is an assassin. I didn't get a good look at him when you brought me in, but Juugo confirmed his identity."

"You should get going then," the guard told his ward.

Naruto nodded before quickly exiting the room. Yamato stared at the closed door with trepidation. This was the part of the plan he'd been dreading.

He was separated from his ward, and if anyone recognized Naruto as the patient that had entered the E.R. only minutes before, he would instantly fall into suspicion. It also didn't help that their worst case scenario was coming true.

There was an assassin in the hospital.

The guards had hoped that they would be able to remove Sasuke from the hospital before any assassins entered the health center, but things had not worked out in their favor, and now, he was separated from his ward, while an assassin stalked the hospital.

"Let's go," Yamato said, turning to the Uchiha with cold eyes. _**He**_ was the reason Naruto had placed himself in danger.

Sasuke gave him a curt nod, before pulling the white sheet over his face, and becoming as still as death.

Yamato grabbed the stretcher and within moments was briskly walking out of the E.R. with Sakura at his heels.

The two entered the waiting room once more, and the guard immediately found the man with the sunglasses, though his eyes didn't linger for long.

"We need to hurry," he told the pink haired nurse beside him. "The body is already decomposing. We need to get it to the hospital across town, before the organs are no longer suitable for transplant."

Sakura nodded at him, before they hurried out the hospital doors to the waiting ambulance.

As the two drew closer to the ambulance, two paramedic's rushed out to help them lift the body into the back of the ambulance. Within moments the stretcher was placed inside, and the ambulance took off with a loud commotion as the driver turned on the trademark noise maker.

Ten minutes later, Naruto (the driver) parked the ambulance near an alley, and jumped outside, where two _**real**_ paramedics where waiting to take the ambulance back to the hospital.

The blonde tossed one of the paramedics the keys. "Tell, Tsunade that her ambulance needs a better engine," Naruto told them, already picturing the outrage on her face when they relayed his words to her. Giving the two men a goofy salute, Naruto took off toward the discrete black car where Yamato, Sasuke, and his two guards were already waiting for him.

* * *

_**Three days later (after Sasuke's Retrieval from the Hospital)**_

"Why are we still here?" Tobi whined as he walked beside the tall blonde.

"Shut up, Tobi!" Deidara snapped as he walked up to the guard outside the Hyuuga compound.

Ever since the incident with Gaara at the museum, the blonde had fallen into a long depression. He hardly ate, and sleep was all but forgotten in the wave of his grief. His emotions had gone through a roller coaster ride until he finally managed to get them under wraps. Once he could think clearly again, he came to a conclusion: though he still missed Sasori, he couldn't waste his life mourning him. Sasori wouldn't want that as Tobi had often pointed out. He needed to move on. Now that the puppeteer was gone, he had to live for both of them. That didn't mean he was going to forget or stop loving Sasori; he didn't think he could ever do that but it did mean letting go of his memory enough to love another.

He was ready to live again. However, he couldn't move on until he made amends with the person he had wronged not long ago.

Even though he was going through his own break-down at the time, it was clearly obvious he had caused Gaara to go through a similar episode.

So, he searched for the red-head, but to his annoyance, he couldn't find him anywhere. It was as if he didn't exist outside the museum that housed his art.

His patron, Kakashi, was no help at all and refused to give him Gaara's address no matter what he offered the man. Deidara was not used to being refused. People usually gave him what he asked and then some—the perks of fame.

So, he turned to public records and searched for the red-head in the news. After all that was where _**he**_ had first heard of him. However, the few articles about Gaara didn't mention his address and any family members were never named. The only people associated with the red-head were his patron Kakashi, who Deidara had already termed as a lost cause, and an Uzumaki Naruto.

Apparently the two were in a relationship. A strange thing indeed what with the way the Hyuuga had acted at the museum. Was Gaara stuck in the middle of a love triangle? (1)

Using that angle, Deidara searched for Naruto and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to find information on the blonde. But things were never as easy as they seemed.

For the last week, he'd been trying to get an appointment with the infamous heir to no avail. He had even tried going to his home, but he was quickly "asked" to leave by one of his bodyguards. No to be thwarted he sent Tobi to inquire about Naruto's whereabouts and he too was "asked" (more like threatened) to leave by another bodyguard.

He had been frustrated to say the least. After thinking about the situation, he remembered another person with a connection to the red-head—Hyuuga Neji. He had almost smacked himself for his Tobi-like stupidity.

So, here he was just outside the Hyuuga compound inquiring about the man. Everyone knew of the Hyuuga's, they were a very old and respected family, so it was rather easy to find the brunette unlike a certain red-head.

With a cheerful smile plastered on his face, Deidara walked up to the guard outside the compound and asked for Hyuuga Neji.

Five minutes later, Deidara was escorted away from the compound as Tobi yelled at the man for his rudeness. Apparently, they weren't too fond of being asked such a simple question. The guard had immediately drilled him on the reason for his inquiry and had just about—scratch that—_**had**_ threatened him if he even thought about laying a single finger on the brunette.

Deidara had not taken their rude treatment lying down and had gotten into a verbal spar with one of the guards.

He was immediately turned out of the compound after that incident.

_**x x x**_

100 meters away from the entrance to the infamous Hyuuga compound, a man dressed in black slacks and a dark shirt put away his binoculars.

He had seen enough.

It seemed he had lost the element of surprise. The compound was already on high alert if the scene with the blonde was anything to tell by. With a snap of his briefcase, the man left the roof of the building he had been occupying for the last four days.

He quickly made his way to the ground floor and walked in the direction the blonde and his companion had taken. Ten minutes later, he found the two at a small café. He took a seat next to their table and spent the next half hour listening to their conversation.

_**x x x**_

After their less than welcoming treatment at the Hyuuga compound, Deidara decided to try Naruto one more time. If he and Gaara really were an item, then the blonde would no doubt visit the red-head soon. Thus, he decided to tail Naruto and let him take him to the red-head. Plan made-up, he called for the check and left soon after. He never noticed the man behind him nor the smirk that crossed his face when he had mentioned Gaara and Neji's probable relationship.

There was no point in returning to the Hyuuga compound. It was obvious Neji already knew of the danger he was in, and he doubted he could sneak into the compound while it was on high alert. His best option was to kidnap someone that was close to the brunette and since kidnapping a member of the Hyuuga Clan was extremely difficult, this Gaara character was the perfect target. Instead of trying to get into the heavily guarded compound, he would lure Neji out.

With a sinister smile on his face, the assassin asked for the check.

* * *

_**Two days later **_

Neji watched as the two figures talked near the fireplace in low tones. Though he couldn't hear them, his keen eyes picked up every subtle gesture, every expression that passed between the two; the aura of affection starkly obvious.

The brunette watched as the blonde leaned in close to the red-head whispering unknown words for Gaara's ears alone. Neji narrowed his eyes at the gesture, feeling a stab of jealously wash through him as he continued to watch their interactions until he was finally fed up with the two. If he didn't leave soon, he was sure he'd say something that would only make him lose face in Gaara's eyes.

Without a word, Neji got up and left the living room, walking up the stairs. He headed for the guest room, and promptly closed the door behind him as soon as he entered.

"Damn it!" he cursed once he was alone, feeling a sick churning in his stomach at the very thought of the two men downstairs. Taking calming breaths, the Hyuuga eventually regained his cool. He knew Gaara didn't see Naruto in that light, but he couldn't help thinking if that was a one sided opinion.

_**x x x**_

Half an hour later, Gaara walked into the guest room, his eyes immediately trained on the brunette sitting at the oak desk.

Neji lifted his head and regarded the new arrival with watchful eyes.

"What news did he bring?" he asked from his spot, his eyes betraying none of the curiosity he felt.

Gaara walked further into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed so that he was facing the Hyuuga.

"The Uchiha is staying with Naruto until his guards can secure a safe way to transport him to a different location," he answered him.

Neji nodded at the information.

"Did he say anything else?"

"He spoke with your uncle and informed him of the situation. Hiashi was upset at first, but Naruto convinced him to let you remain here. As far as he could tell, no one knows that you're here—"

"For the moment," Neji cut in, staring at Gaara with grim eyes. "They're trained assassins. I doubt they'll remain ignorant of my location for long," the Hyuuga said as he got up.

He looked down at Gaara and spoke with total conviction.

"I have to go. I can't stay here anymore. I should have left as soon as Naruto told you about the reward." (2)

When he had first received the news, Neji had been devastated. He didn't understand why fate hated him so much. Right when he and Gaara were making tremendous progress yet another blow hit him, except this one not only threatened him, but it also put everyone around him at risk and that he would not tolerate. It didn't take him long to make up his mind after that.

He knew his life was forfeit.

He wouldn't ruin Gaara's as well…He would remove himself from the other's life once and for all.

Neji looked at Gaara with soft eyes. This was it; his time to leave. Without thought, Neji slowly leaned down hoping to take one last kiss from his love, but before his lips could make contact with Gaara's softer ones, the red-head turned his face to the side so that the Hyuuga's lips skimmed his cheek instead.

The sharp pain of rejection bloomed inside his chest, but Neji hid it well behind a sincere smile. He straightened back up and turned to leave feeling the weight of the other's denial with every step.

"Don't go. . ." Gaara murmured as he stared at the ground, face hidden from view.

Departing steps immediately stopped.

"I mean . . . I don't want you—"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The sharp raps immediately shattered fragile moment and teal orbs immediately met pale-lavender in mutual suspicion.

"That's the door," Neji said, looking at Gaara with sharp eyes. "Were you expecting anyone today?"

"No. Naruto left half an hour ago. He would have called me if he was returning."

Neji nodded before going to the window, glad he always kept the blinds shut. He peeped through a small slit and saw a black car outside.

It was empty.

Neji didn't like the situation. "You stay here," he told Gaara still looking out the window. "I'll answer the door," he said as he turned back to an empty room. Gaara was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it to Hell!" he cursed.

_**x x x**_

Gaara reached the door as another round of raps hit the surface. His door didn't have a peephole so he couldn't see who it was, and if he took the time to try and sneak a peek though the curtains, Neji would surely catch up to him.

He couldn't let the brunette reveal himself.

He was certain that Neji would remain hidden if he opened the door himself knowing full well that they would lose the element of surprise if there was indeed a bounty hunter waiting outside the oak door.

Gaara quickly undid the locks. From the corner of his eye, he saw Neji stare at him with furious eyes before ducking into the kitchen and away from view.

He threw open the door and outside stood a tall blonde and a shorter black-haired man.

"Gaara!" Deidara yelled, enveloping him in a bear hug.

"Sempai, you're going to suffocate him!" Tobi warned the blonde as he watched in concern.

"Oh, you're right," Deidara yelped, quickly putting down a rather shocked red-head.

It took Gaara all of about ten seconds before his shock turned to anger.

"What the Hell are you doing here!" he yelled pissed.

The blonde wasn't surprised at Gaara's less than welcoming words; he had already known the red-head wouldn't be happy to see him after what happened.

Deidara lowered his head and spoke sincerely. "I came to apologize for my actions at our first meeting. I won't make an excuse for my—"

Gaara slammed the door on his face.

It took Deidara a few shock-filled seconds before he registered what had happened.

"Hey!" he yelled. "I'm trying to apologize here! How dare you shut the door on my face!" he continued as he pounded his fists on the door. "You should be grateful that I even feel the need to say I'm sorry. Now get out here and accept my apology!!"

"Get the Hell off my property!" Gaara yelled back.

"Not until you say you forgive me!"

"The Hell I will! Now get out before I call the police."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Watch me."

Deidara hadn't expected the red-head to take this route. Angrily, the blonde let Gaara have this round. He didn't want to get involved with the police.

"Fine! But I'll be back!" he yelled. Now that he knew where Gaara lived, he didn't he could always return. Besides, he knew the fiery red-head wouldn't accept his apology so easily. He would give Gaara time to think about his words, then return. He could be stubborn and annoying when he needed too.

With a smirk on his face, Deidara left along with Tobi.

_**x x x**_

"What was that?" Neji asked Gaara once they heard the car leave.

Gaara glared at him. "How should I know that guy is crazy," Gaara spat, still angry. "What _**I**_ want to know is how he found out where I lived!"

"Maybe he got it from Kakashi or one of the newspapers that's done an article on you?" Neji said, offering an explanation.

"Kakashi knows I'd kill him if he ever gave away my address especially to an obvious stalker like that, and I made sure my address along with my sibling's names was never published in the media."

"Well, he could have waited for you to show up at places your known to visit and followed you home, or he could have found someone that's closely related to you and tailed them until they came to visit you, or asked someone close to you—What?" Neji said, at the questioning look he received from the red-head.

"You sound like you have some experience in this area," Gaara commented, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"What—no. I would never stalk you!"

"Why so defensive Hyuuga?" Gaara teased. "Tell me, did you ever stalk me?"

Neji's eyes looked everywhere except at the short male standing in front of him. "I told you, I didn't stalk you," he said again. "But I may have inquired about your address when you first moved to Konoha… and I may have volunteered to give Naruto a ride to your house that time his car was in the shop. But that doesn't mean I was stalking you!"

"Yes it does."

"Well, what was I suppose to do?!" Neji yelled a bit frustrated. "It wasn't like you would have told me where you lived, even if I asked you. You barely spoke two words to me for the first few months. Do you know how hard it was to get you to say a complete sentence to me? . . . I just wanted to get to know you better. I didn't know it back then, but I had already fallen for you," Neji said coming closer to Gaara. "Nothing's changed," he murmured, leaning dangerously close to the other, but refrained from closing the distance between them, clearly remembering the rejection earlier.

Teals eyes looked at him with want and Gaara threw all thoughts out the window as he moved forward to meet Neji's all too alluring lips.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Gaara immediately pulled back, turning to the door, heart rate a little scattered.

"I'm going to Kill Him!" Neji gritted out, ready to pummel the blonde for the interruption.

"I'll do it for you, now get out of sight Hyuuga," Gaara told him as he tried to calm the frenzy beating of his heart.

Neji did as he was told; cursing all blonde's the entire time.

Once Neji was out of sight, Gaara narrowed his eyes and turned to the door. The bastard would pay. He finally got the courage to make the first move and the idiot blonde had to ruin the moment.

Without warning, Gaara opened the door. "Didn't I tell you to—"

The words died in his throat when he registered the gun aimed at his chest.

"Don't make any sudden moves, or I'll be forced to shoot you," the assassin warned. "Now put your hands up in the air and slowly step back inside."

Gaara did as he was told and slowly stepped back inside. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I'll be asking the questions here. Now tell me, who else is here?"

"I live alone."

Before he could register the movement, Gaara was thrown back as the assassin's fist connected with his left cheek.

"That's not what I asked you, now was it. I'd appreciate it if you would answer my questions appropriately, or I'll be forced to discipline you."

Gaara glared at him from the floor, wiping the small dribble of blood from his mouth. "There's no one else here except for me," he spat.

"Now that's better. Though, I can't trust your word for obvious reasons," the assassin pointed out.

"Then what's the point in asking—"

A combat boot came crashing down on the red-head's stomach, making him double over in pain as the air rushed out of him at the well-aimed kick.

"You will not talk back to me, am I understood. You will only speak when spoken too. You got that?"

Gaara couldn't say anything as he was still trying to gulp down precious air.

"Get up."

Gritting his teeth, Gaara stumbled to his feet, still clutching his stomach with one hand. His eyes filled with fury.

"That's a good-boy. Now turn around."

His first instinct was to protest, but he squashed it down and did as he was told. The next thing he knew his hands were being tapped tightly together behind his back. Once the assassin was done, he pushed the red-head forward, making the shorter male stumble into a wooden chair.

"Now sit down," he ordered.

Gaara sat down on the wooden chair, his eyes glowing in barely concealed rage.

The assassin smirked at him, amused at his display of anger.

"I'm going to tape your legs to the chair now. Don't do anything stupid, or you **will** pay," he warned the shorter male. "After I'm done with you, I'm going to check the house and see if you were telling me the truth before."

With that being said, the assassin bent down and placed his gun near Gaara's right leg. He reached for his back pocket and grabbed the same roll of duck tape he had used on the red-head's hands.

With silent steps, Neji slowly entered the living room, catching Gaara's eye as he did so. The two exchanged silent words. Gaara would provide a distraction and Neji would take out the guy. The two nodded to each other understanding their roles.

Gaara returned his attention to the man bending down in front of him. He watched as the assassin pulled out a large piece of tape, but before he could tape his leg to the chair, Gaara attacked with his still free legs. He kicked out with his left leg hoping to catch him on the temple, at the same time he used his right leg to kick the gun across the room.

The assassin dodged his left leg, but was unable to grab his gun before Gaara kicked it out of his reach.

"You're going to pay for that," he gritted out standing up to deliver a painful blow to Gaara's sternum, but before he could hit the red-head, he was tackled from behind.

The two figures landed on the floor kicking and punching. Gaara wasted no time and got up from the chair making his way to the kitchen in search for a sharp knife to cut off the tape. He quickly found one, but it was harder cutting off the tape than he first anticipated. In the end, he wound up slicing his wrist, but avoided any arteries.

Hissing in pain, he ripped off a piece of cloth from his shirt and tied it around his bleeding wrist. After he took care of his wound, he ran back into the living room, where the two men were still fighting.

Neji was keeping up with the assassin's every step, blocking blows, and side-stepping those he couldn't block. He delivered kicks of his own which were easily dodged or blocked. The two were an even match, and they both knew it. So, when Gaara entered the living room the assassin immediately broke away from Neji and with a speed Gaara had only ever seen Rock Lee produce, was at his side within moments, grabbing him from his bleeding wrist, and pulling him toward him.

The man had been too fast for the red-head to react in time. He tried to struggle out of the man's grip, but the assassin's hold on his injured wrists was too painful.

Neji was about to rush the man in an attempt to get Gaara away from him, but before he could make a move, the man produced a knife from out of nowhere, and had its sharp blade on Gaara's throat before the Hyuuga could blink.

Gaara felt the cold steel press into his soft skin and stayed as still as possible.

It was over.

"You lied to me," the assassin hissed in his ear, applying pressure on the blade so that the tip sliced through his soft skin. A dot of red blood emerged from the pierced skin, marring the ivory color.

The assassin looked at Neji, watching the turmoil of emotions pass through his eyes as he hurt the red-head in his arms. With a smirk on his face, he addressed the Hyuuga.

"I will kill him if you don't do as I say," he told him, and watched as those pearl eyes hardened with anger. He knew he had won. "Now lay down on your stomach with your hands behind your back, and don't move, or I'll slit his throat," he emphasized his threat with another sharp jab at the artist's delicate neck.

Gaara hissed as he felt the sharp knife pierce his skin once more. Neither cut was deep. It barely pierced his skin, but they were acutely painful.

Neji did as he was told. The assassin nodded in approval, before turning his attention back to the red-head in his arm.

"In what direction did you kick my gun too little one?"

"Like I'd tell you," Gaara spat, bracing for the blow he was sure to receive for his words. But the blow never came.

"No matter, I can find it easily enough," the assassin said.

After a few minutes of searching he spotted the item near the front door. He dragged Gaara with him and ordered him to pick it up and hand it to him.

Gaara bent down slowly, feeling the knife on his throat the entire way down. He couldn't do anything but do as he was told, yet he knew that once the man had the gun in his hand, it would be all over for him and Neji.

The artist's mind worked overtime trying to figure a way out of this situation, but nothing he thought of had a possibility of working. He needed a distraction. Earlier he had tried talking back to the man, hoping he'd hit him or something and maybe provide a distraction that way, but he assassin did nothing. He knew he had the upper hand, and would do nothing to lose the advantage.

Gaara tried to think of something to do, but nothing came to mind, and all too soon, he was low enough to grab the gun.

"Grab it slowly. Any sudden movements and I slice your throat," the assassin warned him.

Gaara grabbed the gun with his hand, but before he could start to rise up again, the door slammed open, pushing the assassin forward and making them both crash to the ground, the knife thankfully away from his throat.

"HA! You though I left!" Deidara yelled, making his grand entrance into the Sabaku's home.

Tobi had forgotten his scarf on Gaara's porch, so Deidara had decided it was a good as time as any to make good on his promise and annoy the red-head. Wanting to catch the glass artist off guard, he and Tobi had quietly approached the cabin and to Deidara's immense pleasure, he found the front door slightly ajar.

"Now accept my—Omph"

Deidara's words were cut off as he was pushed aside by a livid Neji. When Deidara had made his very distracting entrance, Neji had wasted no time and was on his feet within moments.

He got to the assassin and was about to deliver a fatal blow to his unguarded head, when the man twisted aside, bringing the knife with him. He slashed at Neji, only to miss him by a couple of centimeters. Gaara used the opportunity to deliver a few choice blows of his own.

"What's going on?!" a very confused Deidara asked as he saw the scene unfold itself in front of him.

All three men ignored him.

Neji and the assassin were soon on the floor fighting over the gun the assassin had taken from Gaara.

Gaara turned around to yell at the blonde. "Deidara Get Out of HERE!"

With that he ran to the two men to try and help Neji somehow.

Neji struggled with the assassin as both tried to gain control of the gun.

"Gaara get down!" Neji yelled as soon as he realized what the man was doing. He was using all his strength to aim the gun at Gaara and Neji wasn't strong enough to stop him.

"GAARA!!"

Neji used all his strength to yank the gun away from his love.

BOOM!

The deafening sound of the gun stopped all movement within the cabin.

"Gaara!" Neji yelled as he looked at the red-head who was covered in too much blood.

Gaara stared at Neji in shock.

"SEMPAI!!" Tobi yelled as he caught Deidara's falling body, blood pouring from the gunshot wound.

* * *

(1) Neji acted like the jealous lover when Dei first met the brunette and now the newspaper is saying that Gaara and Naruto are an item, so Deidara thinks that Gaara might be in the middle of a love triangle. Obviously, there is no such triangle. This is just what Deidara thinks is going on with the information he knows.

(2) After Naruto finished talking to Sasuke in the beginning of the chapter, he immediately tried to warn Neji, but when he asked about him, he was told that he was with Gaara (he was shocked to say the least). So, he informed Hiashi's about the situation and after convincing him that Neji would be safer with Gaara (since almost no one knew of their connection; they don't know nothing of Dei role in all this) he immediately contacted Gaara and told him the whole story, which Gaara recounted to Neji afterwards.

_**Question: Last shot to guess who Deidara will end up with? **_The answer will be revealed in the next chapter!

So, Deidara was shot, Neji is still struggling for control of the gun and Gaara is a little shocked since the bullet was a little too close for comfort.

In the next chapter, everyone will finally be under the same room where they will plan their next move. This includes, Itachi, Sai and all other key players.

Remember, I've decided to kill someone off, who that is I've yet to decide.

Thanks for reading. I hoped you liked this chapter.

All reviews are welcome. Thanks. Till next time. ;)


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